Never Thought
by Darkwolfdragon16
Summary: It has been fifty years since Shiroi has been to the Soul Society and right now, it's not doing too good. When she has to witness an innocent girl's execution, the secret that the Akuma Clan has been keeping for years is revealed. Will anyone be on her side now? More importantly, will he ever forgive her for her future actions? ByakuyaxOC
1. Bothersome Introductions

Hey, guys. I can't believe that I'm now writing two fanfictions at the same time. Let's hope for the best that I don't mess up and get behind on my updates. Alright, I hope you all will like it!(:

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach nor do I make any profit from it

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A medium height girl walked down the long hallway towards the meeting hall in the Squad One barracks. She looked to be twenty years-old, but she was definitely older than that. She had long, darkish, blonde hair and kind, dark black eyes. She was wearing a traditional black shihakusho. Its long, black sleeves were cut short till they hit her shoulders because they got in the way when she fought. The back of her outfit was also missing until it hit around the top of her hips. So basically, her shihakusho was the same as the one that the Squad Two captain would sometimes wear. Over that outfit, she had a dark purple cloak and hood that her grandfather had given to her before she left for the Royal Guard.

The cloak was just that, a cloak. There was nothing special about it. She was wearing dark purple gloves that ran up to her elbows and they didn't cover her fingers. Around her smallish waist was her zanpaku-to. It was tucked underneath a dark purple sash that was wrapped around her waist and was resting on her left hip. Its handle was pure black along with the guard. It had a dark purple ribbon around its handle that swung free behind it. On her back was a black dragon tattoo that started at her right shoulder, ran down her back, and stopped at her left hip. The tattoo was a symbol of her nobility and a symbol of her place as the head of her family.

As she approached the meeting hall, she saw that some of the captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads were already there, waiting to enter. They watched her as she walked over to one of the guards. She was just simply telling him who she was, so that she could enter the meeting hall early. The guard nodded and let her go into the meeting hall. She nodded thanks to him before walking into the meeting hall. She heard the large wooden doors to the meeting hall close behind her loudly once she was in the room.

She walked up to where the Head Captain was standing and stood to the right of the old man. He looked over to her and bowed his head to her. She did the same to him out of respect for the old man. The doors opened once more, this time letting the captains come into the hall. They all lined up into their two separate lines. One had the odd numbered captains, while the other had the evens. Some of the captains glanced over at the young girl, wondering what she was doing here. The Head Captain walked forward a bit before finally stopping to speak.

"I apologize for calling all of you here so early. Do any of you know who this young lady is," he asked them, pointing to the girl to his right. They all looked at her before some of them shook their heads. Each captain had a confused look on their face. They had no idea who she could possibly be. They all had to admit, she looked familiar, but they still couldn't figure out her name.

"You might know her as the current head of the Akuma Clan," the Head Captain's voice rang out once again. Their eyes widen in surprise from hearing the name Akuma. Now it clicked. She was Shiroi Akuma, the head of the Akuma Clan and captain of the Royal Guard. The Akuma Clan was one of the four great noble families on the Seireitei. The Akumas were known for excelling in the skills Zanjutsu, Hoho, and Hakuda. Their Kido was pretty good, but not as excellent as the other three. They were also known for every head of their family having a dragon zanpaku-to and the head of the family was always the eldest female. Not a single male has been the head of their family.

Over fifty years ago, the Royal family noticed Shiroi's amazing skills and asked her to become a captain of the Royal Guard. Shiroi accepted and left for the Royal Palace. It had been such a long time since any of people there had seen her. They all didn't even know it was possible for a captain of the Royal Guard to come back to the Soul Society. It was very rare for one to come at all.

"She is only here to watch over the Thirteen Court Guard Squads under the Soul King's orders," continued the Head Captain.

"And how long will that be," asked someone, sternly. Shiroi looked over to the Squad Six captain. He had longish, black hair and slate gray eyes. He was wearing the same black shihakusho that every Shinigami wore. Over it was a white, sleeveless haori that every captain in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads was supposed to wear. In his hair were white kenseikan. Those plus the white scarf around his neck and white fingerless gloves, which only covered the tops of his hand and wrists, showed that he was the current head of his family, the Kuchiki Clan.

"Captain Kuchiki, it's been awhile," Shiroi stated. It was true. It had been awhile since she had last seen him. At the time, she was the third seat of Squad Eight and he was a lieutenant. The Kuchiki and Akuma clans had gotten along perfectly well before Shiroi's promotion to the Royal Guard. Now, no one was sure what was going to happen to the relationship between the two families. It was defiantly questionable. The noble captain looked at her, his cold stare ineffective on her. Shiroi noticed something else in his slate gray eyes. She wasn't sure what it was, so she just shrugged it off.

"Yes, I guess it has been quite awhile," he said, finally looking away from her. Shiroi shook her head.

'Once a stubborn noble, always a stubborn noble,' she thought to herself.

"Lady Shiroi Akuma will be staying here for as long as the Soul King wants her to," said the Head Captain, "So she will stay here for quite some time for all I know."

"And what exactly will she be doing," asked the silver-haired, prodigy captain of Squad Ten, Toshiro Hitsugaya. His teal eyes watched the Head Captain look to Shiroi, who nodded in response to the old man's silent question. He was telling her that it was her turn to explain things.

"I will be helping out with the investigation of all the strange events that have been happening in the Rukon districts. His Majesty finds all these strange events very troublesome and stressful on him. That's why he sent me to take care of it. He knew that I would get the job done. Other than that, I can also help with any Squad's missions and assignments. I will be staying either here in the Squad One barracks or at the Akuma manor if you ever need me. All I'm supposed to do is watch over the Thirteen Court Guard Squads until the Soul King thinks everything has calmed down," she said, pushing her hair behind her right ear.

"Yes, that's all Lady Shiroi will be doing while she is here. I would appreciate it if you all gave her a warm welcome while she is here, do I make myself clear," asked the Head Captain. All the captains nodded, quickly agreeing to the Head Captain's orders.

"Well then, if we are all settled, you are dismissed," said the Head Captain. The doors to the meeting hall opened, and the captains and Shiroi left for their barracks. Byakuya looked over to Shiroi one last time before leaving. He had to admit, she had certainly grown since the last time he saw her. He accidentally caught her attention for just a bit. Byakuya quickly looked away from her. He turned and walked away from the meeting hall without looking back. Shiroi smiled slightly to herself before heading back to the Akuma manor. She was unfortunately stopped by Captain Jushiro Ukitake of Squad Thirteen and Captain Shunsui Kyoraku of Squad Eight.

"It's been quite awhile since we last saw you, Lady Shiroi," said the brown-haired captain, teasing her just a bit. Shiroi turned to him.

"Yes, it has been, Captain Kyoraku. How have the two of you been," Shiroi asked. It also was a long time since she had last saw the two of them. She had missed having their small conversations when she was in Squad Eight.

"Good, thank you, Lady Shiroi," said the white-haired captain. The three of them continued on with their conversation. They quickly caught up with what was new with each other as Shunsui and Jushiro walked Shiroi to the Akuma manor. Shiroi said good-bye to the two captains and left to walk into the manor.

She had to talk to her grandfather and tell him the plan. Plus, she could also ask him how he was doing. She hadn't seen him in a couple of months. She would occasionally get a couple days off to visit just her grandfather over the years she spent at the Royal Palace. She walked to her grandfather's study, every so often greeting her manor staff along the way. Once she had arrived at her grandfather's study, she knocked softly on the door.

"Come in," came an old man's voice from the other side of the door. Shiroi slide the door open and walked into the rather large room. She closed the door behind her quietly. She looked to the white couch that was placed several feet before a dark wooden desk and chair. Sitting on the couch was an old man with gray hair and kind, dark brown eyes. The man was dressed in a white yukata. The old man smiled at Shiroi, happy to see her.

"Shiroi, I'm glad that you are finally home," the man said.

"I feel the same way, Grandfather," Shiroi said as she walked over to him to hug the old man. This was in fact her grandfather, Kuro Akuma. He was one of Shiroi's most trusted advisors. He always helped her whenever she needed advise on something that concerned the family. Shiroi sat down next to her grandfather.

"How have you been, Grandfather," asked Shiroi.

"I've been fine. And you, Shiroi?"

"I've been fine as well." Kuro looked over to his granddaughter. He noticed that she was a little bit skinnier than she was a few months ago.

"Shiroi, have you been eating better lately?" Shiroi looked down at the wooden floor. She didn't want to answer him.

"Shiroi," asked Kuro. Shiroi looked up at him, her dark eyes shimmering with slight guilt. She shook her head, making Kuro sigh in disappointment. Shiroi had always been like this ever since her mother had died when Shiroi was seven. She sometimes didn't eat that much during the day. Shiroi knew better. She knew she needed to eat more; it was just that she didn't want to. Then to make matters worse, her condition got worst when he had died. Kuro stood up from the couch and walked over to the door. After he had opened it, he stuck his head out.

"Yuri, could you bring Shiroi some food," Kuro asked.

"Yes, Lord Akuma. I can do that," a small voice said from the hall. Kuro brought his head back and closed the door before he went back to the couch.

"Grandfather, please, you don't need to do this. I can take care of myself," Shiroi said.

"It is quite obvious that you can't. You will eat more while you are staying here," Kuro said. Shiroi nodded, agreeing to his statement. Kuro wrapped his left over her shoulders.

"Is it still about your mother? Or is it about him," Kuro asked.

"Both, but mostly him, I think," Shiroi said softly. It was quite obvious that she didn't want to talk about it, so Kuro quickly dropped the subject. A knock interrupted the long silence between the two nobles.

"Lord Akuma, I brought the food for Lady Shiroi," said the same small voice from earlier.

"Good. Bring it in, Yuri," said Kuro. Shiroi watched as the door to the study slide open to reveal a small girl with black hair and hazel eyes. Her long, black hair was up in a messy ponytail. She was wearing a light yellow kimono with an orange sash around her waist. This was Yuri, the head maid at the Akuma manor. Yuri was also Shiroi's personal maid.

Yuri had taken care of Shiroi ever since Shiroi's mother had passed away and Shiroi's father had disappeared. Shiroi's mother had passed away over a hundred years ago. It was then several months after Shiroi's mother's death that her father had just disappeared. No one was sure what had happened, but because of this, Shiroi immediately had to become head of her family at the age of seven. She is the youngest person to become the head of a noble family in history. Yuri brought the tray of food over to Shiroi and placed it on the coffee table before her.

"Thank you, Yuri," Shiroi said. Yuri smiled kindly to her mistress before bowing. She quickly left the study, closing the door behind her as she left. Shiroi looked at the tray of food. There was a roll and some water. It wasn't much, but at least it was something. Yeah, even the Akuma manor staff knew about Shiroi's eating habits. Shiroi pulled a small piece of the roll off and ate it. Kuro sighed, happy that Shiroi was eating.

"May I ask you, Shiroi… how did Lord Kuchiki react to seeing you after being away for so long," Kuro asked.

"I believe that is something I would rather not talk about you, Grandfather," Shiroi answered once she was done chewing. Kuro stood up from the couch and walked over to the door that led to the garden.

"Alright, if you say so, Shiroi, but I'm guessing that you will have to work with him eventually." Shiroi nodded, agreeing with his last statement.

"Hmm… well, that will certainly make things awkward between the two of you," Kuro stated.

"Yes, it will, but I'll get through it." Kuro slide the door to the garden open. Sunlight came into the room, making it so much brighter in the study.

"I sure hope you are correct, Shiroi." Shiroi took a sip of water before standing up from the couch as well. She walked over to stand by her grandfather.

"Same here, Grandfather." Shiroi walked outside into the sunlight. The sunlight quickly showed how much the small girl had grown. She wasn't the small, scared seven year-old girl anymore. She was a mature, young woman who was taking her responsibilities as head of her family seriously. The sunlight continued to shine on her, making her slightly pale skin shine. Shiroi walked over to the white roses she loved so much. Kuro walked over to them as well.

'The flowers are blooming beautifully, just like how Shiroi is becoming more and more like her mother,' thought Kuro as he picked a white rose from the bush. Thankfully, there were no thorns on the one he picked, which was rare for roses. He walked over to Shiroi and told her to hold still. She quickly did what she was told. Kuro took some of her blonde hair and pulled it softly away from her face. He placed the rose in her hair, just above her left ear. Kuro let go of her hair in order to step back from Shiroi to admire his work.

"You look just like your mother," Kuro commented. A faint blush appeared on Shiroi's face.

"Thank you, Grandfather," Shiroi said. Kuro smiled, happy that Shiroi was finally relaxing. Kuro turned his head to the right and looked at one of the trees in the garden. Shiroi looked as well. Lying in the shade of the tree was a black dragon with dark purple outlined, black wings. The dragon's large wings were tucked into its sides. Its black head was lying slightly underneath it left wing.

Shiroi was amazed that the dragon was already asleep when they had only been here for a couple minutes. The dragon opened its eyes. They were a bright red, almost neon like. The dragon lifted its black head off the ground in order to look at Shiroi and Kuro. There on its head were three bright red horns. The one in the very front was taller than the other two. The very last one was the smallest.

"Yamishiryu," Shiroi said before walking over to the dragon. Yamishiryu was the strongest dark, death dragon zanpaku-to to ever live in Soul Society history, or that's what the Head Captain and Kuro say. There are many rumors of Yamishiryu's abilities and powers, but there is one main rumor. The rumor says that Yamishiryu could defeat an opponent as high as a fifth seat with complete ease, but that was just a rumor. The dragon watched Shiroi as she approached her. Shiroi eventually got to Yamishiryu in order to stroke her black neck. The dragon purred softly. She always liked it when Shiroi pet her. Shiroi smiled slightly as the dragon continued to purr softly.

"Shiroi, can I ask you something," her grandfather asked. Shiroi stopped petting Yamishiryu, who was quite disappointed, and turned around to face her grandfather.

"What is it, Grandfather?" There was a long pause before…

"Never mind… it's nothing important." Shiroi looked at her grandfather, confused. She quickly shrugged it off. She nodded.

"Grandfather, I should probably go train for awhile before I go anywhere," Shiroi said. Kuro nodded.

"Alright, don't push yourself too much." Shiroi nodded. She patted Yamishiryu's shoulder and the dragon understood what that meant. The dragon quickly disappeared into thin air. Yamishiryu had just gone back into its zanpaku-to form. Shiroi headed to the training area that was just down the hall. The training area was pretty much made of mostly dirt. There was some grass around the edges, but not that much. There were a couple of trees around the edges as well.

Shiroi unsheathed Yamishiryu and started her simple training exercises, the ones that didn't tire her out that much. She did this for almost twenty minutes before she decided to take a quick shower. She gave Yuri the white rose to place in a small vase. Once she was out, Yuri helped her into a light blue kimono with a white sash around her small waist. Yuri brushed through Shiroi's dark blonde hair to help it dry faster. Shiroi sat down on the wooden hallway outside of her bedroom. There she could see part of the Akuma manor garden as her hair air dried.

As she was sitting there, her thoughts went back to the Kuchiki noble's reaction to seeing her there at the meeting hall. She remembered that there was something in his eyes that she wasn't quite sure what it was. It wasn't his usual expressionless emotion. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt her grandfather approaching her from the left. She looked over at her grandfather.

"What is it, Grandfather?" Kuro shook his head.

"It's nothing, Shiroi, I assure you," he said. Shiroi smiled slightly.

"If you say so, Grandfather." Shiroi looked back at the garden. She relaxed as she sat there. Kuro walked closer to his granddaughter and placed his right hand on his left shoulder.

"Grandfather, you don't think anyone will find me here, do you?"

"No, Shiroi, I don't think anyone will find you here. You are perfectly safe here." Shiroi looked down at the ground.

"Thank you, Grandfather. I sure hope you are right." Kuro looked up at the sky. It was still light out. It was probably around three in the afternoon.

"I sure hope I am as well, Shiroi." Shiroi stood up from the wooden floor and smoothed out her kimono. She looked over at her grandfather.

"Grandfather, I need to go. I'm going to go talk to Captain Kyoraku for a little while. I haven't seen him in such a long time and I would like to make sure he's doing ok," Shiroi said.

"Will you be back by dinner?" Shiroi nodded.

"Alright, then you may go."

_Yamishiryu- dark, death dragon_

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Please Review


	2. News

Ok, well, I'm so freaken tired from last night's editing with my bud on our Black Butler fanfiction. Now, I'm even more tired because I didn't get that much sleep. I have to say that an actual job really tires you out. Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach nor do I make any profit from it

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Yuri quickly helped Shiroi out of her kimono and into her black shihakusho and dark purple cloak. Shiroi wrapped her zanpaku-to around her small waist before pulling on her dark purple gloves. Shiroi walked out of the Akuma manor and headed in the direction of the Squad Eight barracks. She quickly headed in the direction of her old captain's favorite rooftop.

It was the one place she knew that she could always find him at when he was trying to avoid doing paperwork. She jumped up onto the rooftop from the ground. Lying down with his tan hat covering his gray eyes was the brown-haired captain himself. His pink kimono he usually had over his shoulders was laid out on the rooftop, right underneath him. Shiroi rolled her eyes. She knew he would be taking a nap instead of doing work. He hadn't changed a bit in the fifty years she had been gone.

"Don't you think it's a little early to be taking a nap, Captain Kyoraku," Shiroi said. The brown-haired captain looked over his right shoulder just slightly in order to look at Shiroi.

"Shiroi Akuma, I thought it was you," he said, sitting up from his original position. He pulled his straw hat up, so now Shiroi could see his face a little bit better. Shunsui smiled at her.

"I'm going to guess that you are here to see how I'm doing." Shiroi shrugged.

"Kind of, but I would also like to know what has happened since I left," Shiroi stated, sitting herself in front of him. He nodded.

"That was something else I thought you would be here about."

"You always did know what I was thinking before I said it, Captain Kyoraku." Shunsui smiled again.

"Shiroi, please, just call me Shunsui from now on."

"Alright, Shunsui, tell me how you have been," Shiroi asked, slightly uncomfortable for calling him by his first name.

"Hmm… I'll have to admit, it was certainly different not having you as my third seat for the last fifty years."

"Different as in…"

"A little lonely, I guess you could say. I missed making fun of you every day." Shiroi shuddered a bit, making Shunsui chuckle. It was true. When Shiroi was the third seat of Squad Eight, Shunsui would make fun of her almost every day. They were just little jokes here and there.

"Shiroi, I must ask you, though, how are you doing? You look thinner than the last time I saw you." Shiroi looked at the calm captain.

"You sound like my grandfather. He pretty much said the same thing earlier," Shiroi responded.

"Well, then I will have to say that he is correct, Shiroi."

"And I'll tell you the same thing I told him, I'm fine. I can take care of myself," Shiroi said with a very stern voice. Shunsui held his hands in the air almost like he was guilty of something.

"Alright, I went too far." Shiroi nodded.

"Well, then you wanted to know what else has been going on here since you left for the Royal Palace?"

"Yes," answered Shiroi.

"Well, you missed Captain Kuchiki adopting Rukia Kuchiki of Squad Thirteen into his family when she was still in the Shinigami Academy." Shiroi looked at her captain, dark black eyes filled with shock.

"What?"

"Everyone else was just as surprised as you are now."

"When did this all happen?"

"It was a few years after you had left for the Royal Palace."

"So not too long after I had left for the Royal Palace." Shunsui nodded. Shiroi stood up from the rooftop.

"I need to go, Shunsui. I promised my grandfather I won't be long."

"Alright, I will see you later, Shiroi." Shiroi flash-stepped back to the Akuma manor gates from the Squad Eight barracks.

'Rukia Kuchiki, I have never heard of you,' thought Shiroi.

_Lady Shiroi, should we go to the Akuma records and see what they say_, Yamishiryu suggested to her mistress.

'Yes that is probably a good idea, Yamishiryu. Let's go look at those records.' She needed to look at the Akuma manor records right away. She needed to know who this Rukia Kuchiki was and why on earth Byakuya had adopted her into his family especially after she herself had left for the Royal Palace. Shiroi quickly made her way through the Akuma manor.

The records themselves were in a separate study for only Shiroi, Kuro, and Shiroi's advisors were allowed to enter. Yuri was the only maid that was allowed to go into the study to make sure it was clean. Shiroi slide the door to this study open. There were already two of her advisors in the room, looking through some books themselves. They were wearing white coats over black shihakushos. The coats had a dark purple stripe along the bottom and the inside of the coat was also dark purple. On the back of the coat was a dark black dragon symbol.

"Lady Shiroi, we didn't know you were coming in today," they said, standing up and quickly bowing to Shiroi.

"It's alright. I should have sent Yuri ahead of me to warn you, but this just came up. Do you two know anything about Rukia Kuchiki from the Kuchiki Clan?" The two old advisors looked at each other. One of them quickly went to the shelves behind them and grabbed three books.

"These should help you, Lady Shiroi. We really don't know that much about Rukia Kuchiki off the top of our heads, but there should be some information on her in here. These books contain the more recent information we have on the Kuchiki Clan," the advisor said as they gave the books to Shiroi.

"Thank you, that's all I really needed," Shiroi said. The two advisors bowed before going back to work. Shiroi headed to her own study and decided to sit under a tree that was in a garden outside her study. Yamishiryu appeared beside her as she opened the first book.

_What do you think we will find out about this Rukia Kuchiki_, Yamishiryu asked her mistress.

"I don't know. We'll have to see what we can find," Shiroi said, "I just want to know who she is and why he would accept her into his family." Shiroi read through each book while Yamishiryu napped beside her.

"Yamishiryu, sorry to wake you, but I think I found something." Yamishiryu opened her bright red eyes and lifted her head off the ground to look at the book Shiroi had opened. There was a picture of a small girl with short, black hair and dark purple eyes. She was wearing a black shihakusho and a zanpaku-to was tucked underneath a white sash.

_Is this Rukia_, Yamishiryu asked.

"Yes, I guess so. She looks a lot like…" Shiroi's voice trailed off into nothing.

_Yeah, I know who you mean, Lady Shiroi._

"Apparently, Rukia is from the Rukon district 78, Inuzuri. I'm amazed that the Kuchiki elders let Byakuya adopt her into his family." Yamishiryu nodded slightly, agreeing. It amazed her as well. Shiroi closed the book and put it on top of the other two. She sighed deeply.

"It also looks like she is away on a mission in the World of the Living."

_When did she leave?_

"Over two months ago."

_Can't she get trouble for staying that long there without reporting back?_

"Yeah, she can."

_Should we tell the Head Captain?_ There was a long pause before Shiroi shook her head.

"No, this is something that they might already know about."

_Lady Shiroi, are you sure?_

"Yes." Shiroi stood up and looked up at the sky. The sky was orange because of the setting sun.

"Well, I better get going. Grandfather will get upset with me if I'm not at dinner on time." Yamishiryu nodded before disappearing into thin air. Shiroi headed in the direction of the dining room when she heard someone call her name behind her. She turned around to see Yuri standing there.

"What is it, Yuri," Shiroi asked the black-haired maid.

"Lord Akuma told me that you will be having a guest over tonight for dinner."

"Guest?" Yuri nodded.

"Yes, Lord Kuchiki is coming over tonight." Shiroi looked at her, surprised.

"Oh, alright, Yuri, will you come with me and help me find a good kimono for tonight."

"Yes, Lady Shiroi," Yuri said, following her mistress to her bedroom. They were able to find a kimono for Shiroi within in a few minutes. It was a white kimono with a golden sash around her waist. There was a light pink flower pattern on the kimono. Yuri helped Shiroi with her long, dark blonde hair into a messy bun. Yuri led Shiroi to the front gates. Kuro was already there, waiting for her. Yuri bowed to Shiroi before leaving to go get dinner ready. Shiroi turned to her grandfather. He was wearing one of his nicer kimonos as well.

The wooden gates of the Akuma manor opened loudly, making both nobles turn to them. Once the gates were fully opened, the two Akuma nobles saw a tall, black -haired captain on the other side. He was wearing his captain's outfit, which was perfectly fine for him to wear at dinner. He approached them slowly. His slate gray eyes looked at Shiroi as he walked to them. Kuro watched the man closely. He noticed some kind of emotion in the noble captain's eyes as well. He too couldn't quite make it out before it finally disappeared in his usual expressionless gaze. Kuro quickly shook it off. Now was not the time to be thinking about such things.

"It's nice to see you again, Lord Byakuya," Shiroi said, bowing to the black-haired noble.

"And the same to you, Lady Shiroi," Byakuya said, returning her bow with a nod.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Lord Kuchiki," Kuro said.

"It was of no problem. I wasn't busy today," Byakuya stated.

"I guess you have your lieutenant taking care of things at your barracks while you are here, am I right, Lord Byakuya," Shiroi asked. Byakuya nodded.

"Well, then shall we move to the dining room," Kuro asked the two younger nobles. Byakuya nodded. He turned to Shiroi and offered his left arm to her. She knew he was just being polite. It was what a noble was supposed to do, no matter how much they didn't want to. Shiroi slipped her right arm into his. She let him led her to the dining room. The three nobles made small conversation as they walked to the dining room.

Once they had entered the room, Kuro and Shiroi sat down on one side and Byakuya sat across from Shiroi. Yuri and a few other servants came in with the food and placed it in front of their masters and guest. They all left the room after bowing their heads in respect to the nobles. Kuro and Byakuya picked up their chopsticks and started eating their dinner. Shiroi did the same, but it was more like she was picking at her food rather than eating it. She didn't feel like eating, but she knew that she must, especially since they had a guest over.

Byakuya noticed this and looked up from his dinner to look at Shiroi. He looked closer. He saw that she was awfully skinny for someone like herself. Being a Royal Guard captain had to be a lot of work and would require a lot of energy which meant eating a fair amount. He couldn't figure out what was making her lose weight. He looked back down, knowing perfectly well that it was rude of him to stare at her.

"Lord Kuchiki, I have to ask you… how are you doing lately," Kuro asked the black-haired noble. Byakuya looked at the old man.

"I've been doing fine," he said.

"That's good. I will have to say that it has been awhile since you have been here at the Akuma manor, hasn't it?" Byakuya nodded. It had been awhile since he had last been at the Akuma manor. He had been slightly surprised that Kuro had invited him over in the first place. The three nobles continued to eat, talking every chance they had.

Kuro and Shiroi walked Byakuya back to the front gates. Kuro and Byakuya shook hands and wished each other a good night. Byakuya then turned to Shiroi. Shiroi noticed the same emotion from earlier flash for just a second in his slate gray eyes. Shiroi was too into her thoughts to notice that Byakuya had taken her right hand in his left. He kissed the top of her hand. A faint blush could be seen on Shiroi's face, which went unnoticed by the Kuchiki noble.

'No, he couldn't still be…,' Kuro thought to himself as he watched this little scene play out. Shiroi gently took her hand back, letting it fall to her side.

"I hope that we can do this again, Lord Kuchiki," Kuro said.

"Yes, I agree, Lord Akuma. Good night, Lady Shiroi," Byakuya said.

"Good night, Lord Byakuya," she answered him before he left. The wooden gates closed loudly behind him once he had left the manor completely. Shiroi sighed before looking up at the night sky. It was a clear night and the stars were shining brightly.

"Shiroi," her grandfather said, trying to gain her attention. She looked over at him.

"What is it, Grandfather," Shiroi asked. Kuro hesitated for a few seconds, deciding if he should ask her or not.

"Nothing, never mind," he said. Shiroi continued to look at him, but now confused. She wondered why her grandfather after all that hadn't asked her his question. Shiroi turned around to face the Akuma manor.

"Well, then I will go back and get dressed into my shihakusho," she stated. Kuro nodded and they both headed back into the manor. Kuro went to his study while Shiroi headed back to her bedroom with Yuri right behind her. Yuri quickly helped Shiroi into her black shihakusho. Shiroi placed her dark purple cloak over shoulders and tucked her zanpaku-to into the dark purple sash that was around her waist.

As Shiroi was leaving the Akuma manor, a small black hell butterfly flew over to her, which she let land on her right hand. She listened to the message the little butterfly had to give to her. Once she had listened to the whole message, she flash-stepped to the meeting hall yet again. The Head Captain had called an emergency meeting. Shiroi couldn't figure out what the Head Captain could possibly wan now. Once she had arrived at the meeting hall, she decided to wait outside with the captains instead of going inside early. There were already four captains there waiting. Two of them looked at Shiroi… well, more like stared at her for a couple seconds.

One of the captains had brown hair and dark brown eyes. He was dressed like all other captains, but his white haori had long sleeves. He was wearing black-framed glasses. This man was Sousuke Aizen, captain of Squad Five. Shiroi remembered he was the lieutenant of Squad Five over a hundred years ago. The other captain was dressed just like any other captain as well. He had short, silver hair. He kept a very foxlike smile on his face. He was Gin Ichimaru, captain of Squad Three and a man that gave Shiroi the creeps. The two men looked away from her after awhile. Shiroi could feel a cold shiver run down her back. There was something off about them and she wasn't sure what it was. When Shunsui and Jushiro walked over to her, she was quickly brought out of her thoughts.

"Good evening, Lady Shiroi," Jushiro greeted politely.

"Good evening, Captain Ukitake, Captain Kyoraku," Shiroi answered.

"Lady Shiroi, do you know why the Head Captain has called us here so late," asked Shunsui. Shiroi shook her head.

"I'm afraid not."

"Hmm… he usually doesn't do this sort of thing unless it is very serious," Shunsui suggested.

"But what on earth could that possibly be though is a very important question," Jushiro stated. The three of them turned around when they heard the old wooden doors to the meeting hall open. The other captains started heading in along with the three of them. The captains took their usual places in their usual lines as Shiroi walked over to her place beside the Head Captain. The old man stepped forward to speak.

"I apologize for calling you all here so late, but it is an emergency. I have just been informed that one of our own has committed the most terrible crime. They have given a human their Shinigami powers," the Head Captain announced. Everyone looked over to the old man. Had they just heard right? Someone in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads gave their powers to a human.

"Head Captain, who was this person," asked Shiroi.

"From the information I was given, it was Rukia Kuchiki of Squad Thirteen," the Head Captain answered. Almost everyone's eyes had widened when they heard Rukia's name. Jushiro was shocked the most.

"Head Captain, are you sure," the white-haired captain asked. The old man nodded.

"I have no choice, but to send someone to bring her back for her punishment. Now who is a good question," the Head Captain stated.

"Head Captain, I can do that. I'm perfectly well to go…," Jushiro started to say, but he was interrupted by a coughing fit. Jushiro kneeled down just as Shunsui walked over to him.

"It seems that you are not perfectly well, Captain Ukitake."

"How about Lady Shiroi, Head Captain," suggested the captain of Squad Seven, Sajin Komamura.

"I don't think that will be possible, Captain Komamura. You see, I need to report this to His Majesty right away. For the time it takes for Rukia Kuchiki to be brought back will be about the same time it takes for me to prepare to go to the Royal Palace. I simply cannot do that," Shiroi answered.

"May I make a suggestion," asked a kind voice. Shiroi looked over in the direction it came from. It was from Aizen.

"Go ahead, Captain Aizen," the Head Captain said.

"Well, since she is his adopted sister, shouldn't Captain Kuchiki go and get her? It would only make sense. She is his responsibility after all," Aizen said. Shiroi immediately looked over at Byakuya. He was looking at Aizen, curious just slightly at what the captain was trying to say.

"Are you saying, Captain Aizen, that since she is in his family that Captain Kuchiki should go retrieve her," Shiroi asked, looking back at the brown-haired captain. Aizen smiled and nodded. Shiroi continued to look at him a few seconds longer before finally looking away. There was definitely something wrong. She could tell by just the way he smiled at her.

"But why would we need to send a captain? A fifth seat could easily take care of this," suggested Jushiro, who had finally recovered from his coughing fit. He was leaning slightly on Shunsui as he tried to stand up.

"Captain Ukitake is right. This human she gave her powers to could not be that strong," Shunsui stated.

"We don't know that for sure, Captain Kyoraku," the Head Captain said.

"But, there is a way to guess how strong the human is," Shiroi said. All the captains looked at Shiroi.

"What do you mean, Lady Shiroi," asked the Head Captain. Shiroi looked at the old man.

"When was the last time Rukia Kuchiki reported in?"

"A week after her arrival," answered Jushiro.

'That's so long ago. There's a huge possibility that the human has enough spiritual pressure to take on a third seat or even a lieutenant,' Shiroi thought to herself.

"Lady Shiroi, how powerful do you think this human could be," the Head Captain asked. Shiroi turned to the old man.

"It's hard to say, but if I'm correct, the human could have enough spiritual pressure to take on a third seat, maybe even a lieutenant. It all depends on the growth and the training this human has received," Shiroi said.

"No, that couldn't be possible," said Komamura, shocked.

"Head Captain, if it's possible, could you hold a little on sending someone to bring Rukia Kuchiki back here? I would like to go down there myself and see how powerful this human is, but like I said it depends on the growth and training."

"And what do you plan to do after you figure out how powerful this human is," asked the old captain.

"I would come back and report what I saw. Once that happens, we will send who is best suited to bring Rukia Kuchiki back," Shiroi said.

"Lady Shiroi, I have a question," someone asked. Shiroi looked over in the direction of Gin Ichimaru. A shiver ran down her back as she looked at the captain of Squad Three.

"Yes, what is it," she asked.

"How do you know all of this?" All the captains nodded in agreement. They all wondered how Shiroi knew all of this.

"It's because I have dealt with these kinds of situations before," Shiroi said, "Of course that was in the Royal Dimension and in the World of the Living."

"Why wasn't the Soul Society informed of these sorts of situations happening in the World of the Living," asked the Head Captain angrily.

"It's because the people were from the Royal Guard and the punishment is worse than the one you all are used to. I should know since I was the one who gave them their punishment," Shiroi said.

"What's… the punishment… for them," asked Jushiro, coughing in between words.

"Their punishment was immediate execution."

* * *

_Yamishiryu- dark, death dragon_

Please Review


	3. Correction?

Wow, updating the very next day. Jeez, I'm typing just way too much nowadays. Oh well. Enjoy guys.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach nor do I make any profit from it

* * *

There was a long silence after Shiroi had stated the punishment she would give to anyone who gave their powers to a human. Everyone was shocked that the Royal Guard would immediately execute anyone that committed that crime.

"Lady Shiroi, why on earth would you give them that sort of punishment," asked the captain of Squad Two, Soi Fon.

"We give them that punishment because they are in the Royal Guard and should know better than to do something like that. I have only had to do this six times in my fifty years there," Shiroi answered her. Everyone was silent as they took in all the information.

"Head Captain, if you would let me, I would like to go to the World of the Living as soon as possible and see if my guess is correct. Then a few days after I'm there, you can send someone to retrieve Rukia Kuchiki," Shiroi suggested. The old captain nodded.

"Alright, I will agree to that, but I would like to know who you think would be the best to retrieve Rukia Kuchiki," the Head Captain said. Shiroi nodded.

"I will leave tomorrow," Shiroi said. The old captain nodded.

"With that settled, you all are dismissed," the Head Captain said. The captains nodded before leaving the meeting hall. Shiroi followed after them. She quickly made her way back to the Akuma manor to get some rest. It was going to be a long day tomorrow. The very next morning, Shiroi woke up to the sunlight coming into her room from the window to the left of her bed Shiroi rubbed her eyes and sat up.

_Did you sleep well, Lady Shiroi_, asked Yamishiryu as Shiroi stretched her arms above her head.

'Yeah, I did. Thank you for asking Yamishiryu,' Shiroi thought back to the kind dragon.

_You're welcome, Lady Shiroi._ Shiroi quickly got up and changed into her black shihakusho and dark purple cloak. She placed her zanpaku-to into her dark purple sash.

'Alright, Yamishiryu, are you ready to go,' she asked the zanpaku-to.

_Yes, Lady Shiroi._ Shiroi made her way to her family's Senkaimon in the back of the manor. Two of her family's guards were already there and ready to open the Senkaimon for her. The one guard nodded and opened the Senkaimon for her. A small, black hell butterfly flew towards Shiroi. It flew around Shiroi before leading her towards the Senkaimon. Shiroi followed the small butterfly into the Senkaimon. She continued to follow the small butterfly until she arrived to the World of the Living.

She was just above a small town in Japan. From what she had been told by her guards, the town was called Karakura town. She looked around and what she saw completely shocked her. There were Hollows everywhere, but that wasn't the only thing that had shocked her. There was a huge Menos coming out from a garganta. Shiroi quickly made her way to what looked like a park. She hid herself in a tree when she felt some powerful spiritual pressure near the Menos. She looked at the Menos as it prepared to fire a Cero. Instinctively, she grabbed the handle of her zanpaku-to and prepared herself to jump off the branch. She watched as an orange-haired Shinigami wielding a rather large zanpaku-to ran towards the Menos.

'What is he doing,' she thought to herself. She looked a few feet back from the Shinigami to see a small, black-haired girl with dark purple eyes. It was Rukia Kuchiki. She was in her gigai.

'So the orange-haired Shinigami must be the human she gave her powers to,' Shiroi concluded. She looked back at the Shinigami to see him blocking the Cero the Menos had fired. She could feel his spiritual pressure raising quickly as he continued to block the Cero. As she continued to watch, the orange-haired Shinigami swung his huge zanpaku-to at the Menos. Once the dust clouds had disappeared from the scene, Shiroi saw the Menos retreating back to Hueco Mundo with a large scar from its left side.

'What is he? He's so much stronger than I had guessed. He could have enough spiritual pressure to defeat a lieutenant if he really tried. This is completely nuts,' Shiroi thought to herself, once the Menos had disappeared. She couldn't believe her eyes. She knew it was possible that the human would have a fair amount of spiritual pressure, but possibly this much was impossible. Shiroi quickly got out of the tree and made her way to the edge of the town. She was only going there so that no one felt her opening the Senkaimon.

She unsheathed her zanpaku-to and quickly made the motion that would open her family's Senkaimon. The same small hell butterfly came towards Shiroi. She walked into the Senkaimon and made her way home. Once she had returned home, she decided to take a quick breather and to think about what she had seen. She had to admit, there was something odd about that human. There was no way that he could have that much spiritual pressure in so little time, but then again... Shiroi sighed. She knew what she had to do. She had to tell the Head Captain immediately about what she had seen. She quickly flash-stepped to the Squad One barracks and headed to the Head Captain's office. She hesitated before she finally knocked on the door.

"Come in," said the old man's voice. Shiroi opened the door and walked into the room. She looked to her right. There was a wooden desk and chair. Sitting in that chair was the Head Captain himself. Shiroi walked to the middle of the room and bowed to the Head Captain. The old man returned her bow with a slight nod.

"Lady Shiroi, I'm guessing that since you are here that you have already gone to the World of the Living," the Head Captain said.

"Yes, I have. I have also made up my decision on the matter," Shiroi said.

"And?"

"I have reasons to believe that the human could be stronger than I had predicted," Shiroi said. The Head Captain looked at her, surprised.

"Are you sure?"

"Not completely, but I did witness him battle a Menos. He left a scar on it and the Menos retreated."

"A Menos?"

"Yes, Head Captain."

"Sasakibe." A silver-haired man with golden eyes appeared by the old man's side. He was wearing a white jinbaori over his black shihakusho. Shiroi knew that this man was his lieutenant.

"Yes, Head Captain," his lieutenant questioned.

"Call all of the captains. We are having a captains meeting right now," demanded the old man, "Lady Shiroi, come with me to the meeting hall."

"Yes, Head Captain," Shiroi answered without a second thought. She followed him out of his office and to the meeting hall. The captains were quite quick at getting to the meeting hall. There was only one captain that didn't come to the meeting: Jushiro Ukitake. His illness was affecting his movements for the day and it was quite understandable. Once all the other captains came, the doors closed loudly.

"Head Captain, why did you call us here," asked Toshiro.

"I belief we have some new information about the human and Rukia Kuchiki," answered the Head Captain. The captains all looked at the Head Captain before looking at Shiroi.

"I have reasons to believe that the human could be more powerful than we expected, but this is only a hunch," Shiroi said.

"A hunch? Is that all you got for us? This is a waste of my time," Kenpachi spat. Shiroi glared at him, which went completely unnoticed by the Squad Eleven captain.

"Yes, it's just a hunch, but I believe that the human could have more spiritual pressure than I had predicted. I'm guessing you all had a Menos order come in today," stated Shiroi.

"How did you know that," asked the weirdo of a captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi. He was surprised that she knew about it when she wasn't even here to hear the order in the first place.

"I was there when it came." It was silent for a little while as everyone took the information in once again.

"Did you take care of it," asked Aizen. Shiroi looked over at the Squad Five captain. A shiver ran down her spine as she looked at him.

"No, I didn't need to. The human took care of it. Well, to be more exact, the human blocked a Cero from the Menos. Then he gave the Menos a scar and it just retreated into Hueco Mundo," Shiroi explained. Once again, a short silence rang out as everyone took in the information.

"So who do you think will be good enough to go retrieve Rukia Kuchiki, Head Captain," asked Aizen.

"We will send Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Abarai of Squad Six to fetch her in two days' time. All of you, dismissed," said the Head Captain. The captains and Shiroi nodded before quickly leaving the meeting hall. Shunsui stopped Shiroi in her tracks as she headed to her manor.

"Yes, what is it Captain Kyoraku," she asked him.

"We need to tell Jushiro about this and I think he would like to hear it from you, Shiroi," he whispered. Shiroi sighed, knowing perfectly well what he said made sense. She nodded, making Shunsui sigh in relief. The two of them flash-stepped over to the Squad Thirteen barracks. There they quickly made their way to Jushiro's quarters. Shunsui knocked on the door once they had arrived in front of his office.

"Come in," said a weak voice. Shunsui and Shiroi walked into Jushiro's quarters. He was lying down on the floor with a white blanket over him. The white-haired captain sat up and looked over at his guests. He was holding a white ice pack to his head. It was quite obvious that he was not feeling well at all today.

"How did the meeting go," Jushiro asked in a weak voice.

"Not good," Shunsui said as he sat down in front of his old friend. Shiroi did the same. As she made herself comfortable on the floor, Shunsui looked over at her.

"Yeah, I know," Shiroi said once she was settled.

"Shunsui, what's going on," Jushiro asked before coughing.

"Captain Ukitake…," Shiroi began before Jushiro shook his head.

"Call me, Jushiro," he said.

"Jushiro, it appears that the human that Rukia had given her powers to is a lot more powerful than I had predicted," Shiroi said.

"What? Are you sure," he asked yet again before he coughed. Shunsui this time stood up and got a glass of water for his friend.

"Thank you, Shunsui," Jushiro said as he took the glass. Shunsui sat back down next to Shiroi.

"Yes, Jushiro, I'm sure. So, the Head Captain decided to send Captain Kuchiki and his lieutenant to the World of the Living to retrieve Rukia Kuchiki in two days' time."

"And what are you going to do for the time being, Shiroi," asked Shunsui.

"I'm going to go see when Central Forty-Six wants to execute Rukia Kuchiki," Shiroi said, "That's at least what I think I should do next." Jushiro nodded.

"I see. Thank you for coming to tell me personally, Shunsui, Shiroi," Jushiro said. Shunsui stood up and pulled his hat down just a bit.

"Well, we will go then. Come on, Shiroi," he said. Shiroi stood up and turned to leave right after Shunsui. The brown-haired captain closed the door behind them both before they headed down the hallway. Shunsui turned to Shiroi. He noticed that there was confusion in her dark black eyes.

"Shiroi, it's alright. I'm sure this is the same kind of crime that you have dealt with in the past," Shunsui told her, trying to calm her down. Shiroi sighed.

"I hope that you're right, Shunsui," she said. As they left the Squad Thirteen barracks, they were met up with by a small black-haired, light blue-eyed girl dressed in a black shihakusho and wore glasses. She had a lieutenant's badge on her left arm and was carrying a book in her right arm. It was Nanao Ise, the Squad Eight lieutenant.

"Captain Kyoraku, where have you been," she asked.

"I've been with Shiroi and Jushiro," he said, pointing to Shiroi innocently.

"Well, we need to go back to the barracks, Captain. We still have some paperwork to fill out," she said. Shunsui sighed, disappointed.

"Alright. Sorry, Shiroi. I'll see ya later," he said. Shiroi nodded and left for the Akuma manor. As she was walking back, she still could feel Aizen's cold gaze on her. She shivered involuntarily. It wasn't from thinking about Aizen's gaze. It was something else completely. Shiroi crossed her arms over her stomach. Her hands gripped her crossed arms tightly. She knew exactly what the shiver had been.

It was her stress disorder's first stage. Yes, Shiroi Akuma has a stress disorder. Every Head of the Akuma family is unfortunately cursed with this. Shiroi's mother had it and the head before that and so on. Shiroi quickly flash-stepped over to the Akuma manor, arriving in just a matter of minutes. She was able to find Yuri just a couple minutes after her arrival to the manor.

"Lady Shiroi, are you ok," her maid asked her as she looked at her mistress. Worry grew in her hazel eyes.

"No. Yuri, go get my medicine… quickly… before it spreads," Shiroi said in between breathes. Yuri nodded and ran off to get Shiroi's medicine. She leaned against the wall to her right. She was finding it very hard to breathe. That's what her stress disorder sometimes did if she was under too much stress, which she was.

It wouldn't activate that part usually that quick, but with all the stress on Shiroi right now, it activated faster than usual. Yuri came back with a syringe and needle. The syringe was filled with a clear liquid. Yuri came over to Shiroi's left shoulder. Shiroi nodded and Yuri quickly poked her mistress with the needle. Yuri injected the medicine into Shiroi slowly. Shiroi's breathing returned to normal once again.

"Thank you, Yuri," Shiroi said, straightening up.

"You're welcome, Lady Shiroi," Yuri said. She bowed and left to do her next chore. The medicine that Shiroi received is only temporary. She would have to take it for two more days before the disorder would end for the month. Shiroi's stress disorder only lasts for three days and happens every month at different times, so it is very hard to keep track. What happens in its first stage is it makes Shiroi shiver involuntarily. Then, it slowly makes it hard for her to breathe. For those three days, Shiroi is to stay home and rest. No one outside of the Akuma manor knows about this.

It is one of the Akuma families many dark secrets. Shiroi breathed in deeply before she made her way to the Akuma family records. She needed to talk to her grandfather and knowing him he was probably at the Akuma records at this time of day. She opened the door to the small study slowly. Sure enough, there was her grandfather. He was standing in front of one of the bookcases, looking at one of the records for over a hundred years ago.

"Grandfather," Shiroi said, quickly grabbing his attention. The gray-haired, dark brown-eyed man looked over at her. He smiled softly before he closed the book. He placed it back on the shelf.

"Shiroi, are you ok? You look a little out of breath," he stated, slight concern colored his voice.

"I'm alright, for now," she answered him.

"You're stress disorder… did it start," he asked her. Shiroi hesitated before finally nodding. Kuro sighed.

"Grandfather, I have to take the shots. I have to make it seem like there is nothing wrong with me. If I just mysteriously went sick, people would start wondering what was really going on," Shiroi said. Kuro sighed again.

"Alright, I understand your point. Do me one favor though?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"The next one, I want you to stay here and not take those shots."

"Alright, I can do that."

"Thank you, Shiroi." Shiroi nodded.

"Grandfather, I think I'll go do some light training for today," Shiroi said. Kuro agreed with a nod. Shiroi walked out of the study and headed towards the training grounds. As soon as she got there, Yamishiryu was out in her manifested state. The black dragon looked over at her mistress. She could see that something was wrong with her mistress. She could see it in her dark eyes.

_You're having second thoughts about this Rukia Kuchiki execution, aren't you_, the dragon asked Shiroi. Shiroi looked over at her zanpaku-to.

"I don't know, Yamishiryu. There's just something wrong about this whole thing," Shiroi answered.

_What do you mean, Lady Shiroi_, Yamishiryu asked.

"I mean there's something off about this whole thing. It feels different than all the other cases I have had to deal with. It feels like there is something else underneath this execution."

_I think I understand what you mean. You mean that someone planned Rukia's execution, right?_ Shiroi nodded.

"I don't know what I should do, Yamishiryu." The dragon walked over to her and placed her black muzzle on her left arm. She breathed in her mistress's scent as she stayed there. Shiroi placed her right hand on the black dragon's muzzle.

_Lady Shiroi, whatever path you chose to follow, I will go with you and protect you_, the dragon said. Shiroi smiled to herself. She knew what Yamishiryu was saying was true. Her zanpaku-to would do whatever it took to protect her, even if it meant having to die in the process.

"Thank you, Yamishiryu," Shiroi said. Yamishiryu nodded and went back to her tree to get some rest as her mistress did some Hakuda exercises. Shiroi did some basics for almost forty minutes. She didn't really break that much of a sweat, but it was enough to help her keep fit. Yamishiryu woke up just a little bit before Shiroi was done with her exercises. Shiroi sighed as she stretched her arms above her head.

"I feel better now," Shiroi said.

_Good, I'm glad, Lady Shiroi_, Yamishiryu said as she got up from the ground. Shiroi looked over at the dragon and smiled. Once Shiroi looked away from her, she once again had that look on her face.

_Lady Shiroi, are you still unsure about the Rukia Kuchiki execution_, her dragon asked.

"You could always tell what I was thinking, Yamishiryu."

_That's because we are connected. Your feelings are mine as well._ Shiroi nodded.

"I know."

"Shiroi," said a deep voice behind her. Shiroi turned to see it was her grandfather.

"What is it, Grandfather," she asked the old man.

"Do you want to eat dinner," Kuro asked her.

"Yeah, I probably should do that," Shiroi stated. Kuro smiled. He was happy that Shiroi was finally taking responsibility for her eating habits.

"Alright, let's go then. I think Yuri already placed dinner on the table." Yamishiryu quickly disappeared into the thin air before Shiroi left with her grandfather. Shiroi sat down across from her grandfather once they had arrived at the dining room.

"I'm guessing you are going to the Royal Palace soon, aren't you," Kuro asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Yes, I have to report this to His Majesty right away," Shiroi responded.

"Are you leaving in the morning," asked Kuro.

"Yes."

"Alright, I'll have the family Senkaimon ready for you in the morning."

"Thank you, Grandfather." Kuro smiled.

"No problem, Shiroi." Once they were done with dinner, Shiroi immediately went to her bedroom. She was tired and wanted to get some much need sleep. That night, Shiroi couldn't go to sleep, no matter how tired she was. She got out of bed and, still in her nightdress, made her way to a room that she preferred that no one else entered. She opened the sliding door softly, trying not to make any noise. Once she was in and had closed the door, she turned to the other side of the room.

There was a very long table with flowers on either side along with two candles. In the middle was another thing of flowers and a candle. Shiroi quickly lit all three candles before stepping back. There were several pictures of Akuma Clan heads. One included her mother. Her mother was a very beautiful woman. She had long, dark black hair and beautiful dark brown eyes. Her name was Ayame Akuma. To the right of that picture was another. It was a picture of young man with black hair and emerald eyes. It was a picture of Kaito Sasaki. He was Shiroi's husband before he died almost fifty-five years ago.

* * *

_Yamishiryu- dark, death dragon_

Please Review


	4. Returning of an Old Enemy

I'm dead tired. I've been trying to get ahead as far as chapters go for each of my fanfictions, minus my Black Butler one, and man I need a nap. I think I'll take one here in a minute. Alright, guys, I hope you like this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach nor do I make any profit from it

* * *

Shiroi looked at the picture of Kaito for a little while longer. She missed Kaito very much. He was a kind and gentle noble man. He was from the Sasaki Clan, but that wasn't all. He was the next heir to the Sasaki throne. The family was a slightly lower noble family than the Akuma Clan, but that didn't stop the two falling in love. The two of them loved each other very much. They had been married for ten years, and during those ten years, Kaito was kind to Shiroi.

He was very romantic, but he was never completely intimate with Shiroi. He was in a kind of business that was quite dangerous. Kaito had been in the Punishment Force and he was the third seat of Squad Two. He didn't want to give her a baby that would remind her of him if he died. He wasn't being selfish. He just didn't want Shiroi to be in too much pain. Kaito was truly a good man to Shiroi.

Tears ran down her cheeks at the very thought of her dead husband. Shiroi quickly wiped them away with her right hand. She stood up and blew out the candles before she left the room. She went back to her bedroom. She sat down on her bed. She still couldn't get to sleep. She sure hoped that her lack of sleep wasn't because of her disorder acting up again, but who really knew.

_Lady Shiroi_, Yamishiryu said kindly.

'Yes, Yamishiryu, what is it,' Shiroi asked her.

_Are you ok?_

'I… really don't know, Yamishiryu.'

_Well, I'm outside if you need me._ Shiroi stood up from her bed and walked around to the other side. She opened the door that led to the garden. Laying under one of the trees was a black dragon with dark purple outlined, black wings. Shiroi walked over to the dragon and started to pet her. The dragon brought its head up off the ground to look at the dark blonde noblewoman.

_Lady Shiroi, please tell me… what's wrong? I can feel that you are hurt_, the dragon said.

"I don't know. I think this Rukia Kuchiki execution is getting to me, Yamishiryu." Yamishiryu placed her muzzle near Shiroi's left arm.

_It'll be ok, Lady Shiroi. I will be here for you_, she said.

"Thank you, Yamishiryu."

_Lady Shiroi, you should probably go to bed. You're going to need to be awake tomorrow when you go back to the Royal Palace._

"Alright. I'll see you in the morning." Shiroi went back to her bedroom and laid down on the bed. She sighed before she closed her eyes. She immediately went to sleep. She was tired and it was going to be a long day tomorrow. Shiroi slept quite well that night, even with her disorder acting up. She stretched her arms above her head once she had woken up the very next morning. She got out of bed and quickly got dressed. This time, she wasn't wearing her regular outfit. She had to wear her Royal Guard captain's outfit.

It had her usual black shihakusho with the no back and shorter sleeves, but it was different. It was much shorter. The bottom of her shihakusho just barely reached the tops of her knees. Over her shihakusho was a white, sleeveless haori with golden outline and on the back of it was the symbol for zero, standing for the Royal Guard. Under that was another symbol for one. So it was read as Squad 01. The zero in front of the one just meant that she was from the Royal Guard. Instead of the usual shoes that she was supposed to wear, she was wearing black leather, high-heeled boots. Somehow, Shiroi is able to fight in those kinds of shoes.

She wrapped the dark purple sash around her waist before tying her zanpaku-to on her waist as well. Out of nowhere, a small hell butterfly flew into her bedroom from the open window. Shiroi let it land on her right hand. She listened to the message carefully. Once the small butterfly was done with its job, it flew off her hand. The Head Captain was calling for another meeting before they sent for Rukia Kuchiki.

Shiroi needed to get to the Royal Palace now, but she had to go to this meeting. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She sighed before she decided to head to the meeting. Once she had arrived, she took her place near the Head Captain. All the captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads saw that she was wearing her Royal Guard captain outfit. They all guessed that she was probably going to go see His Majesty today.

"I promise all of you that this will be a short meeting," the Head Captain began once the wooden doors of the meeting hall closed.

"So, what did you call us here for, Head Captain," the silver-haired fox asked. Gin smirked as he looked over at the Head Captain.

"I was just informed that Central 46 has gone into session about when Rukia Kuchiki's execution will be," the Head Captain announced.

"So soon, but why? Rukia Kuchiki hasn't even come back yet," stated the Squad Nine captain, Kaname Tosen. He was the first of the shocked listeners to talk.

"I don't know for sure, but we'll just have to wait and see what they decide." They all nodded, agreeing.

"Lady Shiroi," asked Aizen, "are you going back to the Royal Palace today?" Shiroi looked over at him. A shiver ran down her back as his dark brown eyes looked into her black ones.

"Yes, I am. I need to inform His Majesty about this myself," she answered him. Aizen smiled to himself. She continued to look at him, confused why he had smiled. She shook it off immediately.

"Anyway, like I said this would be a short meeting. You all have better things to do. You all are dismissed," the Head Captain spoke loudly. They all bowed their heads before finally leaving the meeting hall. Shiroi quickly went back to the Akuma manor and to the back garden. There the Senkaimon was ready for her trip to the Royal Palace. She said goodbye to her grandfather before walking into the Senkaimon with a small hell butterfly leading the way. Shiroi continued down a long path of bright white light. Before she knew it, she entered the dimension the Royal Palace was in. The surrounding area was much like the Seireitei in the Soul Society, so it was like Shiroi had never left. There was one difference. The people who lived in there were very rich, and snobby, noble families.

Shiroi looked to the center of the dimension. There was a huge, white stoned building with a huge fenced area around it. That was the Royal Palace. Around it was where the Shinigami that were in the Royal Guard stayed. In the Royal Guard, there are thirteen squads, just like the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. The Thirteen Court Guard Squads were actually somewhat modeled after the Royal Guard itself. It was the first Soul King's idea. Shiroi sighed before making her way over Royal Palace.

Once she had entered the small area that surrounded the Royal Palace, Shiroi heard someone call her from behind. She stopped and looked over her right shoulder. She saw a young, tall man with dark brown hair and black eyes walking towards her.

He was dressed in a black shihakusho and golden-outlined, white haori. Around his waist was a red sash and tucked under that sash was his zanpaku-to. It had a red-orange handle. The man that was walking over to Shiroi was none other than her older brother by three years, Kuya Tsaki. After their mother had died and father had disappeared, her brother decided to take on their father's last name, Tsaki, and Shiroi took on their mother's last name, Akuma.

"Captain Tsaki, what is it," she asked him. He chuckled a little once he had stopped a few feet in front of her.

"Still so formal, I see. Why can't you call me Kuya all the time, Shiroi," he asked as he ran a hand through his dark brown hair.

"It's probably because right now, we are at the Royal Guard," Shiroi said, "but I can certainly stop since you are my brother, Kuya." Kuya smiles and ruffles Shiroi's hair.

"Now, there we go, that wasn't so hard."

"Cut it out, Kuya." He finally stopped ruffling her dark blonde hair and laughs a little.

"I don't get tired of that at all." Shiroi quickly fixed her hair before glaring at her older brother.

"Kuya, really… do you have to do that every time I get back from a mission?"

"Yes… yes I do." Shiroi sighed. Her brother was never going to grow out of this, even if he was a captain of the Royal Guard. That's right… captain of the Royal Guard. Shiroi was the captain of Squad 01 and His Majesty's royal military advisor. Kuya was the captain of Squad 03.

"You're never going to grow out of it, are you?"

"Tell me, why should I?"

"Cause it's annoying," Shiroi said as she turned around to continue on her path to her squad's barracks. Kuya shook his head as Shiroi walked away from him.

"You'll never change either, Shiroi," he whispered to himself. He too turned back the way he came and walked that path back to his own barracks. Once Shiroi had arrived to her barracks, her subordinates immediately greeted. They all asked her how she was doing on her mission. She told them all that she had to tell His Majesty something every important before she went back to the Soul Society. They were all disappointed that she had to go back, but they were happy that they were able to see her for a little while.

Shiroi went to her office in her barracks. Her office reminded her of her grandfather's back at the Akuma manor. Minus the door to the garden, the two offices were almost identical. She sat down in her office chair and looked at the small pile of paperwork that was on her desk. It wasn't that much, so it won't take her that long to get it done.

The door to her office suddenly opened to reveal her lieutenant and best friend since Shinigami Academy, Maya Black. The girl was almost the same height as Shiroi, just a little bit shorter. She had black hair and sky blue eyes. She was dressed in a black shihakusho with a sky blue sash around her waist. Her zanpaku-to, which had a sky blue handle, was tucked underneath the sash. In her hand was Shiroi's medicine.

"I'm guessing you heard from Yuri that my disorder started," Shiroi stated. Maya nodded.

"Yeah, I did, and I figured that you probably didn't have time to get it this morning, Shiroi," Maya said as she walked over to Shiroi's left side to give Shiroi her medicine.

"Thank you, Maya." Maya quickly stuck the needle into Shiroi's arm and injected the medicine into her. Once she was done, she threw the syringe and needle into the trash. They weren't going to use again anytime soon.

"You're welcome, Shiroi." Maya went to sit at her own desk, which was to the left of Shiroi's, to do some of her own paperwork.

"Maya, I need to ask you something," Shiroi stated.

"What is it, Shiroi," Maya asked as she looked up from her paperwork.

"How was the squad while I was gone?"

"Fine, they do miss you though, but they have been training hard," she answered. Shiroi sighed in relief.

"Good, I'm glad." The two of them quickly went back to work. For the next twenty minutes or so, they worked on the paperwork. After Maya was done, Shiroi told her to go and get some training in, that also included the squad. Once Maya had left, Shiroi took out a clean piece of paper and wrote down what was happening in the Soul Society. It was for His Majesty. She didn't have time to talk to him personally, so she just wrote a letter to him explaining everything.

When she was done, she sent a messenger to the Royal Palace to give him the letter. That was when Shiroi headed to the Senkaimon and went back to the Akuma manor. It was about time for her to investigate what was going on in the Rukon districts. She walked around the south Rukon district 78, Inuzuri or "Hanging Dog". She hadn't been in the Rukon district in such a long time. As she was walking, she heard someone scream to her right. She stopped and placed her hand on her zanpaku-to's handle. Right after the scream came again, she heard a roar. It was a Hollow. That's what she needed at a time like this. Shiroi immediately ran in the direction of the Hollow's roar.

She found a medium sized Hollow walking slowly towards a woman with dark brown hair. The woman's back was to a building, making escape virtually impossible. The Hollow looked a lot like a wolf. Its Hollow hole was in the middle of its muscular chest. The Hollow was covered in black like fur with a white muzzle and chest. The Hollow licked its lips as it walked towards the woman. It was hungry for a soul like hers. There was a fair amount of spiritual pressure coming off from her. Shiroi had to do something. Shiroi held her palm up, so that it was pointed to the Hollow.

"Hado 33… Sokatsui," Shiroi yelled out. A blue flame discharged from Shiroi's palm and hit the Hollow square in the back. It sent the Hollow into the building that was behind the woman.

"Get out of here before it comes back," Shiroi yelled at the woman. The woman quickly got up and ran from the scene as fast as she could. Shiroi looked back at the building. There was a gigantic hole where the Hollow had gone through.

She looked around her. She didn't see anyone else nearby, but she had to get the Hollow into a clear meadow before anyone got hurt. Shiroi looked back at the building when she heard a growl. The Hollow was standing up, but it looked perfectly fine until its right back leg. Its right back leg was bleeding horribly. The Kido did its job.

"You… bastard," breathed the Hollow. Shiroi looked at the Hollow even more closely. It didn't look like any normal Hollow. For one, its eyes were the wrong color. Instead of a bright red color, they were a golden color.

'No, it couldn't possibly be him. He shouldn't be alive. I saw him…' Shiroi stopped herself from going on. She had to focus.

"Do you think you can catch me, vermin," Shiroi questioned. The two of them quickly flash-stepped their way to an open meadow that was several miles away from the town. The Hollow stopped just a few feet from Shiroi.

"Tell me, vermin… why are you here? I thought you were dead," the noble woman asked. The Hollow chuckled before it disappeared from Shiroi's sight. Shiroi quickly unsheathed her zanpaku-to and blocked the Hollow's attack from behind.

"You're just how I had remembered, Shiroi Akuma," the Hollow said. Shiroi pushed the Hollow away from her.

"I still can't believe you are alive. Of all people… it had to be you that was still alive." The Hollow smirked.

"Well, of course. I need to finish what I had started," the Hollow said. Shiroi clenched her teeth together as the Hollow chuckled. The Hollow attacked again, but this time from Shiroi's right and with its mouth. She blocked it without any effort. Unfortunately, for Shiroi, she didn't see the Hollow's front paws going towards her right leg. Its claws dug into her right leg till they were almost completely through her leg. Shiroi screamed from the pain that came with it. The Hollow pulled its claws out before stepping away from Shiroi as she fell onto one knee. Shiroi looked over at the Hollow.

"You're still the same you," Shiroi stated. The Hollow laughed.

"Of course, I didn't change that much in only fifty-five years… other than I have gained the powers of a Hollow thanks to my God."

'What does he mean by "my God"? Does he mean his master,' Shiroi thought to herself. It disappeared once again and attacked Shiroi from above, but it wasn't able to because a certain serpent got in the way. Shiroi looked up to see a serpent made of darkness with bright red eyes surrounding her like a shield. It didn't completely wrap itself around her, but it did stay near her in order to protect her.

"Kurodaja," Shiroi whispered as she looked up at the serpent. Kurodaja is a serpent made of darkness that can either protect the user or attack the enemy. Kurodaja is the serpent form of Yamishiryu and can come whenever it is called or when Shiroi is in trouble. The serpent looked down at its mistress, happy to see that she was ok. The Hollow stepped back, slightly shocked from its attack being blocked. The serpent disappeared into thin air just before Shiroi carefully stood up.

"Surprised, weren't you…vermin," Shiroi spat at the Hollow. The Hollow growled.

"Damn, I wasn't expecting that thing to come out." Shiroi looked at the Hollow's left front paw. It was slightly burned from Kurodaja. That was the effect of Kurodaja when it was in defense mode. Shiroi smirked just a bit.

"What are you laughing at, bastard," the Hollow yelled.

"Hmm… nothing, I guess." Shiroi quickly flash-stepped behind the Hollow and swung her sword at it. She was able to catch its right back leg just before it got away from her. She looked to her left to see it standing there.

"What… are you afraid that a Shinigami like myself will kill you," Shiroi asked it. The Hollow could hear the hint of mockery in her voice. It growled once more.

"No, because instead I'm going to kill you and you'll finally be with him again," it growled out. Shiroi clenched her teeth yet again after he said that last part. The Hollow ran towards her. She quickly got her block ready, but she wasn't expecting the Hollow to disappear at the last second. She tried to turn around in time, but she was too late. The Hollow slashed at her back with its right paw before slashing at her again with its left paw instead. Shiroi screamed again just before she fell to her knees.

"Is this really all the power that the Royal Guard captain has," the Hollow laughed. It was right. Why wasn't she fighting at her full strength? Was it because he was here, trying to kill her?

_Lady Shiroi, you have to keep fighting_, Yamishiryu told her.

'I don't think I can. He's too fast. I can't keep up,' Shiroi thought back to Yamishiryu.

_Lady Shiroi, you can do it. You have me with you._ Shiroi knew she was right. She had to keep fighting no matter what. The Hollow jumped away just in time to avoid Shiroi's attack. Shiroi's breathing became very rapid. She could hardly breathe. All her injures were taking into effect. Shiroi held her left palm up and aimed at the Hollow. She pointed two fingers up at the Hollow.

"Hado 4… Byakurai," Shiroi yelled out. White lighting shot out of her fingers and at the Hollow. The Hollow didn't have enough time. The Kido was too fast for it. The Kido hit the Hollow near its hole, but it wasn't enough to completely kill it. It was just enough to injure it. The Hollow had a scar that ran up from the bottom of its chest to the bottom of its jawline.

"You are such an annoying bitch," the Hollow said, now madder than ever. It roared before running at Shiroi. Shiroi wasn't able to react as quickly as she wanted because of all the injures she had taken were making her slower to reacting to anything. The Hollow was able to bite down on her stomach, cracking a few ribs.

Shiroi screamed before she swung her zanpaku-to at the Hollow. The blade went through the Hollow's right shoulder and come out near its left shoulder. The Hollow bit down harder on Shiroi as she pulled her zanpaku-to out. Once the blade was completely out, it threw Shiroi at a tree that was near the edge of the meadow.

She hit the tree, back first, before sliding down to the ground. Shiroi's vision was quickly blurring. She couldn't see very well, but she did see something before she passed out. She saw small, pink petals flying towards the Hollow. It was able to dodge them easily before it ran off.

'Damn it, he got away,' Shiroi thought before she passed out.

* * *

_Yamishiryu- dark, death dragon_

_Kurodaja- black serpent_

Please Review


	5. Healing

Ok, so since school and work are going to get in my way, updates are probably going to be more spaced out. They'll probably be like every other week. Anyway, enjoy this chapter, guys.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach nor do I make any profit from it.

* * *

Shiroi woke up to see that she was in a Japanese style room. She could see it was night outside. She was lying down on a small white mattress in the middle of the room. She sat up, which was a complete mistake. As soon as she did that, pain ran up her spine and throughout her stomach.

'God… what happened to me,' Shiroi thought to herself. It then came back to her in just a matter of seconds. She remembered now. She was fighting him yesterday and from the pain, he had beaten her pretty bad. How could she let herself get beaten by the likes of him? She ran her right hand through her long, dark blonde hair.

'How… how was I beaten so badly,' she thought. Shiroi was surprised that she had been beaten up so badly from a lowly Hollow and for it to be him of all people. Now that she thought about it, there was something off about his spiritual pressure. It did feel like a Hollow's, but there was something else. Shinigami maybe? Shiroi shook her head. No, maybe she was just looking into this too hard.

She looked to her right to see a red pillow there. She placed her right hand over it. She felt a very familiar spiritual pressure. It was Byakuya's. But why had he been here? She closed her black eyes. She remembered now. She saw bright pink petals flying towards the Hollow. He had saved her, but why? More importantly, why did he take her back to his manor? She recoiled from the pain in her stomach once again. The pain was unbearable. Shiroi laid back down onto the small mattress. She still couldn't believe that it was Byakuya who had saved her. The door to the room opened and a maid walked in.

"Oh, you're awake, Lady Shiroi," she said.

"May I ask you a question… am I at the Kuchiki manor," Shiroi asked her. The maid nodded as she walked over to Shiroi's left side.

"Lord Kuchiki brought you here a few hours ago. It was a good thing too. You were losing blood fast. Now, I'm going to change your bandages that are around your stomach, alright?" Shiroi nodded.

"How bad was I injured," Shiroi asked her as she started to change her bandages.

"You had two broken ribs. Your back was badly scratched up as well as your right leg. Overall, you were in pretty bad shape, Lady Shiroi. You should be quite thankful that Lord Kuchiki had saved you in time."

"Yes, I guess I should be. Does my grandfather know about this?"

"Yes, Lord Kuchiki went to see him this afternoon to tell him what had happened to you."

"Good, I'm glad." The maid was able to change the bandages that were around Shiroi's stomach in no time. The maid decided to go ahead and change the bandages around Shiroi's right leg as well. The maid also gave Shiroi some painkillers before she started putting things away.

"Thank you," Shiroi said before the maid left the room.

"You're welcome, Lady Shiroi." The maid opened the door to the room, but before she could walk out, a certain, black-haired, slate gray-eyed captain walked into the room.

"Byakuya," Shiroi whispered, surprised. She sat up involuntarily, but once she had, the pain in her spine came back. She winced from the pain and placed her right hand on her back. She was quite thankful that the maid had just changed the bandages. They were tighter than the old ones, so they were able to keep her blood from flowing out too quickly. The maid immediately left the room to leave the two noble captains alone. Byakuya came to kneel next to Shiroi's small mattress.

"Lady Shiroi, how are you doing," he asked her.

"I'm alright. Thank you for saving me, Lord Byakuya," she said, "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go home. I don't want to overstay my welcome here." Shiroi tried to stand up, but she quickly lost her balance. Byakuya caught her and helped her onto her feet.

"Thank you…again." Shiroi walked out of the room, her right arm around her stomach. She left the Kuchiki manor without another word to anyone and headed to the Akuma manor. Once the manor was in her sight, her front gate guards approached her. They helped her walk back to her bedroom. There they helped her sit on the small porch, which led to her private garden, just outside her bedroom. She thanked them before they left. She looked over to the edge of the porch just in time to see Yamishiryu appear. She placed her head gently beside Shiroi's body.

_Lady Shiroi, are you feeling any better_, she asked her mistress.

"A little bit," Shiroi answered. Yamishiryu closed her eyes and went to sleep. She knew better than to bother Shiroi anymore about this or the earlier event, especially the earlier event. Yamishiryu could tell that it was really bothering her mistress. Shiroi leaned onto Yamishiryu's neck and also went to sleep. She didn't feel like getting up to go to bed.

Shiroi and Yamishiryu literally slept outside all night, not getting up once to move Shiroi to the bed. They were both tired from everything that had happened in the past few days. Thankfully for Shiroi, Kuro had decided to come and check on how she was doing. When he saw that she was sleeping outside, he grabbed a blanket from her bed and wrapped it around her. When Shiroi woke up, she found that she was still outside. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Yamishiryu woke up as well. They both heard Shiroi's bedroom door open a few seconds after they both had woken up. They turned to see that it was Yuri.

"Yuri," Shiroi said, "good morning."

"Good morning, Lady Shiroi," the maid replied back. In her hand was Shiroi's medicine for her disorder. It was her last one before it would activate again in who knows how long. Shiroi slowly stood up from the porch. She walked back into her bedroom and over to Yuri. Her maid quickly injected Shiroi's medicine before leaving to fix her mistress some breakfast. Shiroi took her brush and ran it through her hair.

_Lady Shiroi_, asked Yamishiryu, _are you going to stay here and rest?_

"I might. I'm pretty sure that they already reported what had happened to me yesterday, so I guess I don't need to go in and tell them," Shiroi answered her. She called for another maid to help her into a white kimono with a light golden sash. Once she was in her kimono, she went to the dining room to get some breakfast. Her grandfather was there, already eating. He looked up from the table and at her as she entered the room.

"Shiroi, I'm glad that you're ok. How are you feeling this morning," he asked her as she sat down on the other side of the table.

"Alright, I guess. I'm a little sore, though," she answered.

"I would expect that since you decided to sleep on the porch instead of in your bed." Shiroi looked down at her lap.

"Yeah, maybe that wasn't the best idea," Shiroi admitted.

"I'm glad that you agree. Now why don't you have something to eat? You have a long day of healing today," Kuro stated. Shiroi nodded and picked up one of her dishes. She took her chopsticks in hand and started eating. Kuro looked over at his granddaughter. She looked tired. Her black-colored eyes were foggy. She had some bags under her eyes as well. Kuro could tell from the bags that she wasn't getting as much sleep as she should be.

"I'm guessing that you also didn't get that much sleep either," Kuro questioned.

"Yeah," Shiroi answered after she had swallowed a bite.

"Shiroi, I really wish that you would…"

"Grandfather, look, I'm trying to forget Kaito, but I can't," Shiroi quickly interrupted, knowing perfectly well what he was going to say. Before Kaito had died, she was a lot healthier than she was now. She wasn't as shinny and she was a lot happier back than as well.

"Look, Shiroi, I'm just concerned about your health. I'm even sure that Kuya is concerned as well. You need to forget him or you'll end up like this again or worse."

"I'm perfectly fine." Shiroi set her dish down and stood up from the table.

"Shiroi, where are you going?"

"I'm going back to my room. I don't feel like eating anymore." Shiroi walked out of the dining room and to her room. She really didn't feel like eating, but that wasn't the only thing. She wanted to be alone. She just wanted to not be bothered while she did some thinking. Maybe it wasn't the Rukia Kuchiki execution that was getting to her. Maybe it was something completely different.

Shiroi sighed and opened the door to her bedroom. She didn't need to worry about something like this now. She had better things to think about. Shiroi winced as pain ran through her stomach. Great, she might have just reopened her stitches. She turned and slid down to the floor. She breathed deeply as the pain raced through her stomach and to her spine.

"Damn it," she whispered to herself.

"Guards," she called out, "get the healers!" She didn't hear an answer, but what she did hear was footsteps running towards the healers' rooms. A minute later, two healers were running over to her. They helped her up and placed her on her bed. They opened her kimono and asked her where the pain was. She told them it was in her stomach. They took off her bandages, so that they could see what was happening. Some of her stitches had come out and she was bleeding horribly fast. Her blood quickly stained her white sheets.

"Lady Shiroi, we're going to have to put you under…," began one of the healers.

"I don't care. Just do whatever it takes to get rid of the pain," Shiroi breathed. The healer she had interrupted nodded and quickly placed Shiroi under before starting on their work. Shiroi woke up a few hours later, pain free. Her healers had fixed her stitches and replaced any that had come out completely. She thanked them for their work before the two healers left her room.

She was allowed to have the door to her private garden open as long as she didn't get out of bed for the rest of the day. She laid there, bored to death. What on earth was she supposed to do? Shiroi sighed, deciding to get some rest. She hadn't gotten any for the last couple of days. She slid down farther into the bed, so that she was now laying down completely in it.

She rested her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. Within five minutes, she was asleep. She was dreaming that she was back at the very night of his death. He was just about to leave for his next mission in the World of the Living. He was going to be gone for several weeks, maybe even more. They were in the garden, making their last moment before he left count. Shiroi hugged him tighter.

"Shiroi, I promise you that I will come back to you," Kaito whispered to her. She nodded.

"I know, it's that you'll be gone for…," Shiroi was interrupted when someone out of nowhere appeared.

"Well, don't you two look ever so lovely," the unknown person said. Kaito and Shiroi both looked in the direction of the voice. Standing there was a tall man with black hair and golden eyes.

"Why are you here," Kaito asked as he turned himself around, placing himself between Shiroi and the man.

"Oh, I think I don't need to tell you," he answered, "Grab his princess!" Someone grabbed Shiroi from behind and dragged her a few feet back.

"Kaito," Shiroi yelled out before the person placed their hand over her mouth. Kaito looked over his right shoulder to see who took Shiroi from him.

"Shiroi," he yelled in response, but it was a mistake for him to take his eyes off his enemy before him. Shiroi watched as the black haired, golden-eyed man took a zanpaku-to and ran it through Kaito's heart. Shiroi struggled to get to Kaito, but failed miserably. The man laughed as he watched Kaito fall to the ground.

"Alright, let her go. We need to get out of here," he said. The person who had grabbed Shiroi let her go and ran after the man. Shiroi knelt beside Kaito and took him into her arms. She placed his head on her lap.

"Shiroi," he whispered.

"Please, Kaito, don't talk," she said. Tears were already filling her dark eyes. Some ran down her cheeks, eventually falling into her lap. Kaito reached up and touched her right cheek with his left hand.

"Shiroi, I want you to know that I will always love you, even if I couldn't give you any children," he whispered again. Shiroi smiled a little.

"And I will always love you, Kaito." Shiroi leaned down and kissed his forehead. Kaito sighed before closing his eyes and forever leaving Shiroi alone. Shiroi woke up from the nightmare, shaking terribly. She hadn't screamed, but she certainly wanted to.

She sat up in bed carefully. She looked over at the door that led to the garden. It was closed. She guessed that Yuri or her grandfather had come in and closed it for her. Shiroi took her right hand and placed it over her heart. She reached into her kimono. With her hand, she withdrew a beautiful, silver dragon necklace. It was from Kaito.

He had given it to her before they had gotten married. She had kept it this long because it was the only thing she had left of him. She stuffed the necklace back under her kimono before slowly getting up for the day. She didn't know how long she had slept. She remembered that before she had gone to sleep, it was quite late at night. Shiroi guessed that it was probably early in the morning.

She walked to the door and slid it open. She called for Yuri to come and help her get into a new kimono. Yuri came quickly to her mistress's aid. She carefully dressed Shiroi into a nice, golden kimono with a dark blue sash and white flower pattern. She took a brush and ran it through Shiroi's long, dark blonde hair in order to get rid of the knots.

"My lady, would you like your hair up or down today," the obedient maid asked.

"Down's fine, Yuri, thank you." Yuri nodded.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Lady Shiroi?"

"No, that will be all, Yuri, thank you." Yuri bowed before leaving her mistress's bedroom. Shiroi also left her bedroom in order to walk around the manor for a little while. One of her guards stopped her shortly after she had left.

"What is it," she asked him.

"My lady, there is someone here to see you,"

"Who?"

"Captain Kyoraku of Squad Eight."

"Alright, let him in. I'll be in the back garden," she said. The guard nodded and left to go get Shunsui. Shiroi on the other hand headed to the back garden. She had to wait about a minute before Shunsui actually got to the garden. The two of them were sitting in the shade of one of the trees.

"Why are you here, Shunsui," Shiroi asked him.

"What am I not allowed to visit an old friend when she's been beaten badly," he asked her.

"Ok, fine, but why are you really here?"

"Captain Kuchiki and his lieutenant went to the World of the Living two nights ago. Just last night, they brought back Rukia Kuchiki. She's in the Squad Six prison cells." Shiroi nodded.

"Alright, thank you for telling me, Shunsui. Does Jushiro know about this," she asked him.

"Yes, he does." Shiroi sighed and closed her eyes. She felt a nice cool breeze blow by her.

"I need to ask, Shiroi, what had exactly happened to you when you fought that Hollow?" Shiroi opened her eyes and breathed in.

"I don't want to talk about it. It was something… personal."

"Shiroi…"

"If you'll excuse me, I need to go rest for a little while longer before I go back out there to continue on my work." Shunsui sighed, defeated.

"Alright, if you say so, Shiroi." Shunsui stood up and left the Akuma manor. He had really hoped that he would have found out how Shiroi had gotten wounded so badly. Shiroi continued to sit under the tree in the back garden. She didn't want to move, afraid that if she did that she would open her stitches again.

She called for Yuri and asked her to bring her some tea. Yuri happily did so and brought a cup of herbal tea to her mistress. Shiroi took a sip before thanking her maid. Shiroi literally stayed there for maybe an hour or more, just thinking things over. She mostly thought about Rukia Kuchiki's execution. After thinking about it for so long, Shiroi decided to go over to the Squad Six barracks to talk to Rukia herself. As she was leaving the Akuma manor, the guards at the front gate stopped her.

"Lady Shiroi, should you really be going out so soon? You're not well enough yet," one guard asked.

"I need to go to the Squad Six barracks immediately," she said.

"Lady Shiroi, please, you need to rest," the other guard said.

"Shiroi," yelled a voice behind her. Shiroi looked over her left shoulder to see that it was her grandfather.

"Yes, Grandfather," Shiroi asked as she turned around to look at him straight on.

"Shiroi, you should listen to the guards. You need to rest," he said.

"Grandfather, I need to go to the Squad Six barracks. They have… a criminal there that I need to talk to," she said. She had paused at calling Rukia Kuchiki a criminal, but she didn't want her grandfather to know too much about what was going on right now. Kuro sighed.

"Shiroi, please, for once listen to your guards and myself. Go and rest, you can go if the healers think that you can."

"Alright," Shiroi said, disappointment colored her kind voice. She walked back to her bedroom, disappointed that she couldn't go anywhere today. She understood that she had to rest, but she needed to go see Rukia and ask her what had happened in those months she was in a gigai. She laid down on her bed, her head on her pillow. Now what was she supposed to do? Was she supposed to wait to go to the Squad Six prison cells? Or was she going to go ahead and try to go to them tonight? Shiroi groaned when a sharp pain ran up her right leg. She was definitely going to have to deal with this pain for the next several days or however long it was going to take to heal.

* * *

_Yamishiryu- dark, death dragon_

Please Review


	6. About Time

Alright, I think this is a much better chapter. The last one was just too sad, but I had to explain how Shiroi's husband died at some point in the story. Ok, guys, enjoy the chapter(:

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach nor do I make any profit from it

* * *

The next several days were long for the Royal Guard captain. She was bored out of her mind. Her family guards and her grandfather would not let her out of the manor no matter what. They all thought it was much better for her to rest for a few days before she actually got up to do anything serious.

She was visited yet again by Shunsui on the day before she would be allowed to go back to work. He was just checking up on how Shiroi was doing. He was worried since she had never let herself get beaten so badly from a lowly Hollow. She had scars on her right leg, stomach, and back. They were going to be scars that would last forever, which upset Shiroi just a bit. The last thing she wanted was a reminder of her losing to the likes of him.

Today was the day that Shiroi could finally go back to work. Shiroi had been waiting for the day that her grandfather would let her go back to work. Yuri helped her mistress into her Royal Guard captain uniform: the black shihakusho; the golden-outlined, white haori over that; and black leather, high-heeled boots. Shiroi tied her zanpaku-to around her waist, letting it rest on her left hip, before she headed to the Squad Six prison cells. As she was walking there, several of the Squad Six members looked at her funny. They were probably curious as to why a Royal Guard captain was here in the Soul Society.

She continued on her way to the prison cells. As she was walking there, she heard someone yell. Once she turned the corner to the hallway where the hell butterflies that Squad Six took care of lived, she saw a tall man with red, spiky hair and black tattoos wearing a white kimono with a pink flower pattern. He had one of his arms inside of his kimono. He was standing before a small, black hair subordinate, who was holding some kind of butterfly toy.

"What the hell do you think you are doing, Rikichi," yelled the redhead.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant Abarai," the small subordinate named Rikichi said bowing to his superior.

'You're kidding, right? That's Byakuya's lieutenant,' Shiroi thought to herself.

_Don't judge a book by its cover, Lady Shiroi. Can't you feel that? He is quite powerful_, Yamishiryu told her.

'Yeah, I guess, but still he just doesn't seem the type to be Byakuya's lieutenant,' Shiroi thought.

_I know what you mean, Lady Shiroi. He's just way to… what's the word… disorganized._

'Disorganized might an understatement for him, but whatever.' She continued to watch as the redhead lectured his subordinate about taking care of the hell butterflies better. She finally decided after a few seconds of watching this scene that she had heard and watched enough.

"Excuse me, I need to see the prisoner that Captain Kuchiki had brought in a few days ago," Shiroi spoke up. They both turned to Shiroi. When their eyes landed on the golden-outlined, white haori, they understood that she was from the Royal Guard. They had heard from their superiors that someone from the Royal Guard was going to be here for a little while, watching over the Soul Society for His Majesty.

"May I ask who you are by any chance," the redhead asked. There wasn't a single polite tone in his voice. Shiroi rolled her black-colored eyes as she walked forward.

"Never mind, I'll just go in," she said. The redhead quickly blocked her path with his body. Shiroi looked up at the redhead. His light brown eyes were watching her like a hawk. She could see that he wasn't going to move anytime soon.

"What are you doing," Shiroi asked the redhead.

"I would like to know why you are here," he asked her.

"Is that really anyway to be talking to your superior. I'm Lady Shiroi Akuma of the Royal Guard. I have a right to speak to the prisoner that is here. Now, please, move, Lieutenant Abarai."

"Well, I was just heading there myself," he admitted.

"Then you can lead the way, "Lieutenant"," Shiroi said, adding a little bit of attitude on the word lieutenant. She was basically trying to tell him that he was not acting very lieutenant like at all. The redhead glared at her before turning to show her the way to the prison cells. Once they had arrived, Shiroi could see that only one cell was occupied. It had a small, black-haired girl dressed in a pure white kimono sitting in a chair in the middle of the cell. She was facing the opposite wall, so her back was turned to them. Renji approached the cell while Shiroi decided to lean against the door frame.

"Rukia Kuchiki," Shiroi said without moving from her position. The girl looked over her shoulder to see who had called her. When her dark purple eyes landed on Shiroi, she too was surprised that someone from the Royal Guard was here.

"May I ask who you are, miss," she asked politely.

'Wow, she's in a prison cell and she had more politeness than Byakuya's lieutenant. How pathetic on the lieutenant's part,' Shiroi thought.

"I'm Lady Shiroi Akuma of the Royal Guard," Shiroi answered her in a polite tone as well.

"Hmph, why is someone from the Royal Guard here," she asked.

"I believe that is private information at the moment," answered the redhead.

"Oh, sorry for asking… Mr. Lieutenant," Rukia teased.

"Do you have a problem with my rank," the redhead snapped back as he grabbed the bars of the cell with both hands. The two of them continued on with their little bickering for several more minutes before…

"Renji… am I really going to die," Rukia asked.

"Well, of course you are. You're going to be executed any day," Renji practically yelled.

"Oh, I see… why wouldn't I be?" Rukia looked back down at the floor. Renji looked at her, finally realizing his mistake.

"Hey, what a minute! I was kidding. I don't know what's going to happen to you. I bet you that Captain Kuchiki is on his way to Central 46 to reason with them. He's your older brother after all. He's not going to stand by and let you be killed."

"I really doubt that. He would rather do it himself," Rukia said in an almost whisper like tone. Renji looked at Rukia; his jaw looked like it was about to drop.

"I know the kind of person he is. In the forty years since the Kuchiki Clan adopted me, he hasn't looked at me once," Rukia said.

"You have to be kidding me," Renji yelled, "That doesn't sound like Captain Kuchiki."

"Actually that sounds about right," Shiroi stated. Renji and Rukia looked at the Akuma noble.

"What do you mean? You don't even know Captain Kuchiki," Renji stated.

"That's where you are wrong. I actually know him quite well. I've known him since we first met. He was about sixteen and I was fifteen," Shiroi said, "I've known him far longer than the both of you. I guess you could say we are friends, but that could be an overstatement for your brother, Rukia." Rukia looked back down at the wooden floor of her cell.

"Yeah, you're probably right," she said.

"May I ask you something, Rukia? Who was that human that you gave your powers to," Shiroi asked the small girl.

"His name was Ichigo Kurosaki. If you don't mind, I would rather not talk about it," she replied without looking up.

"As you wish, Rukia. I will be going. I assume that the date of your execution will be chosen soon." Rukia nodded as her answer. Shiroi turned around walked out of the Squad Six barracks. She sighed as she walked over to the Squad Eight barracks. When the gates to the barracks were in her sight, she saw that Shunsui was just about to leave them. When he caught sight of Shiroi walking over to him, he smiled, happy to see that she was back.

"Shiroi, it's good to see that you're feeling better," he said as he pushed his straw hat up a bit.

"It's good to be back, Shunsui," Shiroi said.

"Should we go see how Jushiro is doing," he asked her. Shiroi nodded, making Shunsui smile.

"Alright, let's go." The two of them walked to the Squad Thirteen barracks, talking all the way about anything they could. Shunsui, at one point, asked once again what had happened to Shiroi to cause her to be injured badly. Shiroi just told him that she would explain that later, but at the moment, she couldn't do that. When they arrived to Jushiro's quarters, Shunsui softly knocked on the door.

"Come in," said a voice. Shunsui and Shiroi walked into the room, closing the door behind them. The first thing Shiroi saw was that Jushiro was looking a lot better than before. He didn't look as pale as before and he was actually dressed to go back to work.

"Shiroi, I'm glad that you're feeling better," Jushiro said as his two guests sat down.

"Thank you. It appears that you are looking better as well," Shiroi said.

"Yes, I am Thank you, Shiroi," Jushiro said politely.

"Now will you tell us what happened, Shiroi," asked Shunsui. Shiroi sighed.

"Alright, I guess."

"What a minute, Shunsui, what are you talking about," Jushiro asked, puzzled.

"He wants to know what had happened to me when I fought that Hollow a few days ago," Shiroi answered.

"Oh," Jushiro said, relaxing. He remembered there being report about how Shiroi had gone up against a Hollow and had lost a fair amount of blood. Every captain that had heard the report was quite confused as to how Shiroi had been beaten by a Hollow.

"Well, you two remember how Kaito died, right," Shiroi asked. The two captains nodded.

"Yes, how could we forget? You went deep into depression for almost two years," Jushiro stated. Shiroi looked down at the floor. She hated admitting it, but he was right. She had been in a depression for almost two years. She had almost lost her position as the third seat of Squad Eight if it hadn't been for Kuya and Maya. The two of them worked together to get Shiroi out of her depression. They were able to succeed greatly. Shiroi was obviously was still depressed, but not as bad as she was fifty-five years ago.

"Yes, well, apparently his killer has come back, but as a Hollow," she said. Jushiro and Shunsui's eyes both widened in shock. Had they heard right? His killer was back, but this time as a Hollow? What the hell was going on?

"Wait… are you sure," Jushiro asked. Shiroi nodded.

"There was something completely different about him though. His eyes were their golden color, not a Hollow's bright red. I could feel that he was certainly a Hollow, but there was another spiritual pressure mixed in there. It felt a little like Shinigami," Shiroi continued.

"Well, now this just gets more and more interesting," Shunsui said as he laid down and placed his hat over his gray eyes, "What else happened, Shiroi?"

"He was about to attack a woman when I interfered. We battled and let's just leave it at he beat me up badly," Shiroi finished her story.

"I suggest that you don't go to the Rukon districts for awhile, Shiroi. You might run into him again," Jushiro suggested.

"I'll have to agree with Jushiro, Shiroi. If he comes back, at least you would be safe here in the Seireitei," Shunsui stated. Shiroi nodded.

"Yes, I will have to agree, but I simply can't do my job." Shunsui sighed. He knew that Shiroi would be stubborn about this.

"Then the next time you go investigate, I'm going with you. I'm not about to let my sweet little Shiroi get hurt," Shunsui said. Shiroi looked over at the brown-haired captain. He was looking at her. She looked at his eyes and saw a serious kind of look in them.

"Alright, thank you, Shunsui," Shiroi said as she looked away from him. Shunsui smiled, glad that she understood that he was worried for her.

"Shiroi, did you go see Rukia yet," asked Jushiro.

"Yes, today in fact," Shiroi said.

"According to Renji, she hasn't eaten that much since she has gotten here," Jushiro continued, "I'm worried for her." Shunsui sat up and nodded.

"I wonder if Captain Kuchiki is trying to convince Central 46 to lower her punishment," Shunsui said.

"I doubt that," Shiroi said, looking down at her lap.

"Why's that, Shiroi," asked the white-haired captain.

"I know him better. He's made too many promises that he can't keep," Shiroi stated. Jushiro and Shunsui exchanged puzzled looks.

"What do you mean, Shiroi," Shunsui asked.

"Never mind, forget what I had said. I need to go," Shiroi said, standing up, but before she could even get to the door, a small hell butterfly flew into the room from the window. It flew over to Shiroi, waiting patiently to land on her hand. Shiroi held up her right hand and the small butterfly landed on it. She listened as it told her the message.

"Shiroi, what does it say," asked Jushiro.

"The Head Captain wants to have a meeting with me and you two. He wants to know what had happened to me as well," she said. Shunsui sighed before he got up.

"Well, then let's go and not keep Old Man Yama waiting," he said. The three of them flash-stepped to the Head Captain's office as quickly as they could go. Once they arrived, Jushiro knocked on the door.

"Can we come in, Master," he asked.

"Go ahead," the old man's voice rang from the other side of the door. The three of them walked into the room and stood before the old man, bowing to him in respect.

"Lady Shiroi, I was informed that you fought a Hollow several days ago. I would like to know what exactly happened," the Head Captain asked the girl. Shiroi sighed before saying the exactly the same explanation that she had given to Shunsui and Jushiro to the Head Captain.

"Are you sure that it was him," the old man asked when she was finished. Shiroi nodded.

"I would like to ask one thing… were you informed of who saved me from him that morning," Shiroi asked.

"No, we were not."

"It was Captain Kuchiki. Once he had saved me, I can only guess is he took me back to his manor to get me healed. That's where I had woken up that late afternoon," Shiroi said.

"I see. We were not informed of this by Captain Kuchiki," the Head Captain said.

"Could you do me a favor, Head Captain, and don't tell him that I told you about that last part," Shiroi asked. The old man nodded.

"We won't say anything." Shiroi smiled to herself.

"Thank you."

"Alright, you all may leave." Shiroi, Shunsui, and Jushiro all left the old man's office. They were walking in the Squad One barracks when they thought they felt a Senkaimon open near the Squad One barracks. A familiar spiritual pressure came from that direction, quickly catching Shiroi's attention. Shiroi decided to flash-step over to the Senkaimon, Jushiro and Shunsui quickly following her.

She watched as a messenger came through. In their hand was a letter. It had the Royal Seal on it, which only meant one thing… it was from His Majesty. Shiroi took the letter and the messenger left without saying a single word. She opened it and reed it over. Once she was done, she was satisfied with what His Majesty said.

He said that she had done a good job and that she should continue on investigating. There was one thing though she wasn't happy about. It was the Rukia Kuchiki execution date. He had said that he had talked to Central 46 and they said that they were going to execute Rukia Kuchiki within a month. His Majesty said that they would announce that last part in a few days, so Shiroi was to make sure that no one else found out until then.

"So, who was that from," Shunsui asked Shiroi, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"It was from His Majesty," Shiroi responded as she folded the letter back up and placed it and the envelope into her shihakusho, "He was just telling that he appreciated that I reported in what was happening here." Shunsui nodded.

"Well, why don't we go and take a break back at my quarters," Shunsui suggested.

"I can't. I need to go home and train a bit," Shiroi stated.

"Should you really be training so soon, Shiroi, you only started coming back to work," Jushiro said worriedly.

"Yes, I need to stay fit for any battles up ahead," Shiroi said, "I'll see you guys later." Shiroi flash-stepped back to the Akuma manor. Once she had arrived, she was greeted by her guards.

"Lady Shiroi, are you feeling alright," one of them asked.

"Yes, I'm feeling fine, no need to worry right now," Shiroi said. She walked into the manor, greeting servants, guards, and advisors here and there. As she was walking, she decided that she didn't need to train this insist, so she decided to go to her office.

Once she had arrived to her office, she immediately opened the door to the private garden. Already laying near the porch was the black dragon zanpaku-to herself. Her head was resting near the porch, so if Shiroi sat down next to her, she could pet her if she wanted. Shiroi breathed in the clear air and relaxed. She was happy that she was able to relax for once, especially right after her disorder had activated.

"Yamishiryu," she said, easily waking the zanpaku-to up.

_Yes, Lady Shiroi_, the dragon answered.

"Can I ask you something?"

_What is it, Lady Shiroi?_

"Do you think he will come after me?"

_No, he won't do that. Not when the Thirteen Court Guard Squads are nearby._

"But he was able to kill Kaito that night."

_I know that, but he had someone with him. If my memory serves me correctly, we were able to find all of his partners and had them sentenced to death, but he was the one person to get away._ Shiroi paused for a little while.

"What I would like to know is… when did he become a Hollow… or half-Hollow in this case," Shiroi finally said. Yamishiryu lifted her head up to look at her mistress.

_I don't know. It all seems strange to me as well, Lady Shiroi_, Yamishiryu stated. Shiroi nodded. It seemed that there was someone conducting illegal Hollowfication experiments on anyone and that one had succeed, but who was doing all this experiments? It really confused Shiroi. Who in their right mind would do this to Shinigami or people from the Rukon district?

_Lady Shiroi_, Yamishiryu said, getting Shiroi out from her thoughts.

"Yes?"

_Are you ok_, her zanpaku-to asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just thinking," Shiroi said. Yamishiryu rested her head back down onto the ground.

_Alright, if you say so, Lady Shiroi._ Yamishiryu immediately went back to sleep and Shiroi went inside her office. She pulled out her sketchbook and a pencil. She decided to draw, but what? She decided to draw Yamishiryu again. She went outside and sat under a tree that was nearby. She faced her zanpaku-to and started drawing. She quickly relaxed as she drew Yamishiryu resting. Once she was done, it was almost time for dinner. She walked over to the dining room after she had put her sketchbook and pencil. Her grandfather was already there, sitting at the table and waiting for her to arrive.

"Sorry for being late, Grandfather. I didn't realize what time it was," Shiroi said honestly.

"It's alright, Shiroi," he said. Yuri and a couple other servants came in with their dinner and set it down on the table. They bowed to the Akuma nobles before leaving the room to attend to their other chores.

"Shiroi, I must ask you something," Kuro said after a little while of silence.

"Sure, what is it, Grandfather," Shiroi said as she looked up from the table.

"By any chance was the Hollow you had faced… was it him?" Shiroi's eyes widened.

"How did you…"

"I could feel the spiritual pressure from here. It was mix of Hollow and Shinigami, am I correct?"

"Yes, but how did you know it was him?"

"Shiroi, I may be over three hundred years old, but I have not lost my Shinigami powers," he said. Shiroi smiled.

"I understand, Grandfather." They ate in silence for the rest of dinner.

"Shiroi, I need you to do me a favor," Kuro asked once they were done.

"What is it," Shiroi said.

"First, I want you to come with me," Kuro said, getting up. Shiroi followed her grandfather to the east wing of the manor. The east wing of the Akuma manor is where Shiroi's mother and father stayed, so Shiroi didn't go in that wing of the manor that much after they were both gone. They arrived to a set of stairs and walked down. There they arrived to an underground training grounds.

"What is this," Shiroi asked as she looked around.

"I built this for your mother when she was the head of our family. She used it to train," Kuro answered her. He turned back to look at her.

"I think it is about time that you did the same. I think this place will help you train to defeat him. Last two times you were against him you weren't ready." Shiroi nodded.

"You're right. I need to stop being the weak twenty year-old woman I was back then and deal with this like the head of the Akuma Clan would," Shiroi said as she unsheathed Yamishiryu. The black dragon appeared before Shiroi, its bright red eyes watching her.

"Yamishiryu, are you ready," Shiroi asked her zanpaku-to.

_Yes, Lady Shiroi_, the dragon was able to say before it was enveloped by darkness.

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_Yamishiryu- dark, death dragon_

Please Review


	7. It Begins

Geez… I'm starting to think that the updates will be more spread out because of school and work getting in the way. We'll just have to see. I just want to say now, for the last scene in the chapter before, you guys will see that again, but a little later. Not telling you guys when. That's for me to know and you guys to read(: Anyway, hope you guys like this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach nor do I make any profit from it

* * *

It had been almost five days since Shiroi had been back to work. She, for those five days, would go train in the underground training room whenever she got a chance. She was trying to get stronger, so if she ever met him again, she would be ready for him. For Rukia Kuchiki, her punishment had only gotten worst by the moment. It was only a few days ago that Central 46 had announced her punishment.

She was to be executed at Sokyoku Hill in 25 days. She was going to be transfer to the tall, white tower in the Senzaikyu till her execution in just a few days. Shiroi was going to be one of the few to lead her there. Shiroi was quickly getting dressed into her captain's uniform when she thought she heard a loud boom come from outside. She rushed outside in her in uniform in time to see a huge dust cloud surround the White Road Gate, the west gate.

"What's going on over there," she whispered to herself. She heard the alarms going off all over the Seireitei.

"Attention… red alert! Intruders detected in west Rukon! This is not a drill! Repeat…" The message repeated again before stopping. The alarms on the other hand continued to ring out all over the Seireitei. Shiroi ran out of her front gates and headed to the west gate. She could already see that a small part of Squad Nine was out there. She watched in horror as the west gate was lifted up by Jidanbo, the gate keeper of the west gate. What was he doing? Did he really lose? And to whom did he lose to?

Shiroi watched as Jidanbo stopped lifting the gate once it was just above his head. He was staring at something that was before him. Shiroi looked to see that it was Gin Ichimaru. He was walking calmly over to Jidanbo. She could tell he was saying something, but what it was, she wasn't sure. She was too far away to hear what he was saying. Shiroi watched as a certain orange-haired Shinigami attacked Gin. She immediately realized who it was.

'What's he doing here? He's not planning on trying to save Rukia, is he,' Shiroi thought to herself. She looked closer at the zanpaku-to he was wielding. It was a rather long zanpaku-to, and was half-black and half-silver. It was different from the one he had the last time Shiroi had seen him.

'Had he gained a Shikai since the last time I saw him?' She continued to watch as Gin was able to knock the orange-haired Shinigami and Jidanbo way from the gate. The west gate slid down before it finally slammed shut once again. Gin walked away from the scene, a smirk on his face.

'The Head Captain is not going to be happy about him letting the Ryoka boy get away,' Shiroi thought to herself. She watched as the silver-haired captain disappeared into thin air. Shiroi sighed before she too flash-stepped away from the scene and headed to the Akuma manor. Knowing the Head Captain he would call an emergency meeting this moment. Sure enough, he did. Shiroi walked into the meeting hall with the other captains, taking her position near the Head Captain.

"What was the meaning of the display, Captain Ichimaru," the Head Captain yelled out once the doors to the meeting hall were closed.

"You should have tried to capture him," Shiroi stated. Almost half the captains nodded, agreeing with Shiroi.

"I know, I know…," Gin said in a mocking tone, "I made a mistake. It won't happen again. I mean, there's no other way they can get into the Seireitei." Shiroi shook her head, slightly disappointed in the man.

"Well, what do you think we should do, Lady Shiroi," asked the Head Captain.

"In my opinion, we need to take action. These Ryoka are just pests that are getting in the way of us doing our job," she responded.

"So, should we kill them," someone asked. Shiroi wasn't sure who asked, but that wasn't important now.

"No, we need to capture them and put them into jail. That's probably the best solution I can think up of right now that His Majesty would accept… and Central 46 as well," Shiroi answered. The old man nodded.

"It's fine. At least it's something. For now, I would like small patrol groups from each squad walking around. We don't want those Ryoka sneaking in here. I will see if there is anything that Central 46 wants to do," the Head Captain announced, "You all are dismissed." The captains nodded before leaving the meeting hall. Shiroi decided that she would go and walk around the Rukon districts to see if there was any trouble she needed to eliminate. Unfortunately before she could even head in the direction of the Rukon district from the Squad One barracks, she was stopped by Aizen.

"Lady Shiroi, I was curious about what had happened to you with that Hollow several days ago," he asked her.

"Sorry, but that right now is classified information," Shiroi said. She looked at him closely. There was something off. It looked like he knew something.

"Oh, alright," he said before walking away from her. Shiroi flash-stepped back over to the Akuma manor and made her way to her grandfather's office. She knocked on the door.

"Come in," she heard a voice on the other side of the door. Shiroi slid the door open and walked in. Her grandfather was sitting outside and on the outdoor hallway in his usual white yukata. He had a book in his hand. He looked up and turned to Shiroi.

"What is it, Shiroi," he asked her.

"Can you give me the pass to the Central 46 that you have," she asked. Kuro looked at his granddaughter, stunned.

"Why do you need that?"

"I need to go see if they have made their decision yet about what exactly to do with the Ryoka."

"Shiroi, you know better. You know that you are not to disturb Central 46 when they are in session." She sighed. Shiroi did know that, but she had to see them. She had to talk to them. Kuro looked at his granddaughter closely. She had that look on her face.

"Shiroi, I know what you are thinking. You want to talk to them, but you can't. Not now anyway," he said to her. Shiroi sighed.

"Are they still upset about what I had done on the night after his death?"

"A little." Shiroi could remember that she had run over to Central 46 and demanded that they find the man that had kill Kaito. They had been in session and she literally had walked in on them, her zanpaku-to in hand. They were nice enough not to put her in jail, but they did make sure that she couldn't get back into their secret room. Shiroi sighed, knowing perfectly well that she wasn't going to win this one.

"Alright," she said, "I'll just go and train for a little while." Kuro nodded.

"Don't overexert yourself, Shiroi," he warned.

"I know, Grandfather." Shiroi walked out of his office, slightly angry that she couldn't go over to Central 46 and see what they had decided. Shiroi sighed just before she had arrived at the underground training grounds. Yamishiryu appeared before her. The black dragon looked down at her mistress. She could see that something was bothering her.

_Lady Shiroi, are you sure that you want to do some training now, especially since the Ryoka are here_, she suggested.

"Yes, we have no idea what they could do. They're in the Rukon districts. They could, for all we know, try to get the people of the Rukon districts on their side," Shiroi explained, "That's all I'm worried about as far as the Ryoka go."

_The people of the Rukon districts won't do that. They would be too scared of the Ryoka right now_, Yamishiryu stated.

"Are you sure, Yamishiryu?"

_Yes. The Ryoka seem only interested in the Seireitei. Don't you feel that? Yes, I think they are with people from the Rukon districts, but it seems they aren't going to join the Ryoka at all._

"Yamishiryu, can you tell me something?"

_Sure, Lady Shiroi, what is it?_

"How can you be so sure?" Yamishiryu went silent for a long while before finally answering…

_I think it's because these Ryoka just seem less menacing than people inside the Seireitei itself._ Shiroi took in Yamishiryu's statement. She had a point. The Ryoka's spiritual pressure was amazing, but it seemed that they were all after one thing: Rukia. They weren't here to destroy the Soul Society or the Seireitei.

"I think you have a point, Yamishiryu," Shiroi said. She sighed.

"I really need to get some training in, Yamishiryu."

_Yes, Lady Shiroi._ Yamishiryu disappeared just as Shiroi unsheathed her zanpaku-to. Shiroi wasn't sure how long she was down there, but it felt like an hour or an hour and a half at most. When she got back upstairs, she saw that it was about three in the afternoon. Shiroi sighed. She was happy that she was able to train properly after her last fight. Training somehow was able to relax Shiroi. It is a little strange to hear that coming from her, but no one object because they wanted Shiroi to relax. She headed back to her bedroom.

She didn't change into a kimono. She really didn't feel like changing into one right now. Shiroi grabbed a book before she walked out to her private garden. Yamishiryu was already out there, resting under her usual tree. Shiroi sat herself down onto the outside hallway to read her book. It was her favorite book from the World of the Living. She really didn't read for long though.

Before she knew it, a small hell butterfly flew towards her. The hell butterfly was different from the ones that the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. It was all black, not a hint of purple on it. It was a hell butterfly from the Royal Guard. Shiroi let the small butterfly land on her right hand. She listened to the message. She sighed. Her brother wanted to see her. The message said that he wanted an explanation for what had happened to her several days ago. Shiroi stood up, waking Yamishiryu.

"Come on, Yamishiryu. We need to go to the Royal Guard," she said. Yamishiryu yawned before nodding. She disappeared into thin air as Shiroi placed her book down on her desk. She quickly headed to her family's Senkaimon. She told the guards that she needed to go to the Royal Guard. The guards set up the Senkaimon so that it was headed to the Royal Dimension. Shiroi made her way to the Royal Dimension and to the Squad 03 barracks. She knocked on her brother's office door.

"Come in, Shiroi," her brother's voice came from the other side of the door. Shiroi slid the door open. She leaned on the door frame, crossing her right ankle over her left.

"What do you want to know, Kuya," she asked the brown-haired man.

"I want to know what had happened to you with that Hollow," Kuya asked his sister. Shiroi looked away from him.

"I thought the explanation that I sent to you earlier was good enough," Shiroi stated.

"No, it wasn't, not for me anyway."

"Just except it, Kuya, it's too personal."

"Shiroi, tell me. I'm your brother for heaven's sakes!" Shiroi went silent for awhile.

"Alright." Shiroi gave her the same explanation she gave Shunsui and Jushiro on the first day she was back to work. Once she was done, Kuya stood up from his desk.

"Where are you going, Kuya?"

"I'm going to tell His Majesty."

"No, you can't. I need to finish this order." Kuya turned to her, anger in his black eyes.

"Shiroi, it is obvious that you can't handle this right now. If he attacks you again… who knows what could happen to you." Shiroi looked up at her brother.

"I can handle it… just give me a little more time," she said. Kuya could see that she was serious about this. Whenever Shiroi made a mistake, she would immediately try not to make that same mistake again. Kuya sighed, defeated.

"Alright, but if you get hurt as badly as you did again, I'm bringing you back here and you are staying here no matter what," Kuya said. Shiroi nodded

"Ok. I'm going back. I can't be late for dinner. You know how Grandfather is," she said. Kuya smiled. He understood perfectly well. Shiroi went back to the Akuma manor just in time for dinner. She apologized to her grandfather about being late to dinner.

"It's alright, Shiroi. When your brother wants to see you on such short notice, I will excuse it. To tell you the truth, you weren't late. You were on time," Kuro said to his granddaughter. Shiroi smiled, happy that she wasn't in trouble. Shiroi sat down across from her grandfather. The two ate in almost complete silence.

"Shiroi, when you went to see Kuya… what did he want," her grandfather asked after a little bit of silence.

"He wanted to know what had happened exactly when the Hollow attacked me."

"Did you tell him everything?" Shiroi nodded.

"Good. Did he say anything?"

"He said that if I get badly injured like last time, he'll take me back to the Royal Dimension himself." Kuro nodded.

"I wouldn't blame him. I probably would do the same thing." Shiroi looked up at her grandfather.

"Really? You would send me back to the Royal Dimension?"

"Yes, especially if that was the one place that was safe for you." Shiroi sighed. She knew she was defeated. She knew she wasn't going to win a fight against her grandfather and Kuya about something as serious as this.

"Alright, Grandfather, whatever you say." Kuro smiled, happy to hear that his granddaughter was finally going to listen to him. They continued to eat, talking about how their day went and anything else they could think of. Shiroi stood up from the table and excused herself from the table. She decided to go to go to the one place she hadn't been to in a while.

She slid the door open before closing it behind her a second later. She went over to the table and lit the three candles. She stepped back and kneeled before the table. She stayed like that for what seemed like hours. Shiroi felt a few tears come up and run down her cheeks. She wiped them away before she stood up. She blew the candles out before leaving the room. Once she had left, she went to her bedroom and immediately went to sleep.

The very next day, Shiroi didn't get up until late. It was probably close to one in the afternoon. She stretched her arms above her head and sighed happily. She had gotten a good night's sleep last night and it felt great not feeling tired in the morning for once. She got up for the day and quickly got dressed in her captain's uniform before going down to the kitchen. The Akuma manor servants were surprised to see Shiroi in the kitchen. They all bowed before staring at her as she sat down at one of the tables.

"Lady Shiroi, if you wanted something, you could have called," one of the cooks said.

"It's alright. I just came to get a quick lunch before I went and trained," Shiroi explained. Yuri smiled. She remembered when Shiroi was quite young and she would do this all the time before she trained.

"I'll get you something, Lady Shiroi," she said, "The rest of you, get back to work." The other servants started working on their chores as Yuri started to fix something for Shiroi for lunch. Since Shiroi decided to get up quite late, she missed breakfast.

"Lady Shiroi, I need to ask you something," Yuri said after a few seconds of silence.

"Yes, what is it, Yuri," Shiroi questioned.

"I was curious about the Hollow that attacked you." Shiroi went silent for awhile.

"Lady Shiroi," Yuri asked, "what's wrong?" The black-haired, hazel-eyed maid looked over at her mistress. She looked like she was in pain.

"I'm sorry, Lady Shiroi, if you don't…"

"No, it's fine. I'm just thinking whether or not to tell you. It's a little on the personal side," Shiroi interrupted.

"If it's too personal, Lady Shiroi, then you don't have to tell me. I understand, it's just that I worry about you. Ever since your mother and Kaito's deaths, you've been acting more… in pain, I guess you could call it." Shiroi looked up at Yuri as the maid placed a plate with Shiroi's lunch in front of her mistress.

"In pain?"

"Yes. I've been watching over you ever since you were born. I helped your mother take of you when you were a baby. You were a very happy child, Lady Shiroi." Shiroi smiled.

"Do you remember the time where you and your mother went horseback riding when you were five, Lady Shiroi?" Shiroi nodded.

"I remember, Yuri."

"I was amazed at how well you were able to ride when you were only five years old." Shiroi smiled again before taking a bite out of her lunch.

"Anyway, like I said, Lady Shiroi, you don't need to tell me, but I certainly would like to know." Shiroi nodded as she continued to eat her lunch.

"I'll tell you, but maybe later."

"Alright, Lady Shiroi. Just call me when you need something," Yuri said before leaving the kitchen to do the rest of her chores. Shiroi finished her lunch in no time. She was actually starting to gain some weight after staying here in the Akuma manor, but it was still not enough. She was still quite skinny. Shiroi sighed as she placed the plate in the sink, a servant would clean it later, and headed to the underground training arena.

Before Shiroi even went downstairs to the arena, she stopped when a small hell butterfly came towards her. It was a message from her lieutenant, Maya Black. The message was about an emergency meeting the captains of the Royal Guard wanted to have. It was so soon after she had gone to see her brother. Shiroi sighed.

When the other Royal Guard captains wanted to have a meeting, she had no choice, but to let it happen. She was usually the one that called the meetings, but this was the one way for the other captains to call for a meeting. Shiroi sighed again before turning to head to her family's Senkaimon. She turned to one of the guards.

"If a hell butterfly from the Head Captain or from any other captain in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, tell them that I am out at the moment," Shiroi ordered.

"What if it is an emergency, Lady Shiroi," he asked her.

"Then send one of our hell butterflies to the Royal Dimension and relay the message to me," she answered. The guard nodded before Shiroi headed after a hell butterfly into the Senkaimon. She flash-stepped her way over to the meeting hall in the Royal Guard Squad 01 barracks. She was the last one in the meeting hall. She took her place at the other side of the hall, right across from the doors. She sat down in a wooden chair and faced the other captains.

"Alright, tell me why on earth a meeting was called on such a short notice," she asked them all once the doors were closed.

"Captain Akuma, to tell you the truth, we all heard bits of pieces of what had happened to you in the Rukon district in the Soul Society several days ago. We would like to know what had happened completely from you," said a man with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He was Captain Rafu Sakuma, captain of Squad 08.

"Is everyone curious about this," she asked. Every captain nodded, except Kuya.

"Did Captain Tsaki have anything to do with this?"

"Yes, I did," Kuya said. Shiroi sighed, completely disappointed.

"Well, you probably know most of it like how I was attacked by a Hollow and was beaten pretty bad," Shiroi began.

"Yes, Captain Akuma, but we would like to know why we found his spiritual pressure radiating off from that spot," asked the captain of Squad 02, Rina Takara. Shiroi looked at the black-haired, golden-eyed woman before looking around the room.

"Why on earth does everyone want to know about what happened that day," Shiroi questioned, "Everyone that I know has asked me the same thing."

"Shiroi, don't you see that we care about what had happened. We care about you, that's why we are asking you to tell us so that we can help you," Kuya burst out. Shiroi glared at him.

"Captain Tsaki, I believe you are out of line," she stated.

"I don't care if I'm out of line. The rest of the captains want to know what had happened that day and I think you should tell them, Shiroi. I'm the only one that knows right now and that's only because I asked you to tell me yesterday," Kuya said angrily. The rest of the captains didn't dare try to intervene in the conversation between the two siblings. They knew that the two siblings were both quite stubborn. One of them was going to break any moment. Shiroi looked away from her brother.

"Fine, but I will have to say that none of you are to tell His Majesty," Shiroi ordered, "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Captain Akuma," each captain said.

"Alright, then, where on earth do I begin?"

"Tell us why we found his spiritual pressure there," a captain said. Shiroi sighed for the second time. It was definitely going to be a long meeting.

* * *

_Yamishiryu- dark, death dragon_

Please Review


	8. The Invasion Begins Once Again

Sorry it took so long for me to update. It's just been very busy for me in the last couple of days. Anyway, enjoy guys.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach nor do I make any profit from it

* * *

Shiroi was in that meeting for quite some time. She arrived back at the Soul Society around five in the afternoon, maybe a little after for all she knew. She had wasted her time telling her follow captains what had happened that day… yet again. She hated how many times she had to tell that story. She had lost count after the fifth time. She ran her hand through her blonde hair. She was tired from the meeting, and just wanted to go home and relax.

Now that she thought about it, Rukia Kuchiki had been moved to the Repentance cell just yesterday. She had fourteen days before she would go to the Sokyoku and be executed. Rukia had already been moved. She went to the back manor garden just to relax for awhile. It was the one place, minus her bedroom, that she could actually relax in.

The next thing she knew, a small hell butterfly flew over to her, landing on her right shoulder. There was going to be an emergency captain's meeting while the lieutenants went out to find the Ryoka tomorrow morning. It was going to be quite early in the morning. Shiroi sighed. At least they weren't having the meeting today. The small hell butterfly flew off back to its original location. As she was sitting under one of the many cherry blossom trees in the garden, she felt her grandfather walking over to her. She looked to her left to see him there, indeed walking towards her.

"Good evening, Shiroi," he said.

"The same to you, Grandfather," Shiroi replied.

"Shiroi, are you ready for dinner," he asked her. Shiroi looked up at the sky. She hadn't even noticed that it had gotten so dark out already. She must have been sitting under the cherry blossom tree for what seemed like hours. She nodded.

"Yes, Grandfather, I am," Shiroi answered him as she stood up.

"Alright, let's go," he said. The two of them walked to the dining room together. Kuro looked over at Shiroi as she sat down at the table. She looked tired.

"Was it a long day," Kuro asked her as he too sat down at the table.

"Yeah, I had to go to a very long meeting," Shiroi said, "The other captains wanted to know what had happened that day when I was attacked by him."

"Oh, I see. Well, they are your follow captains. They do deserve to understand what had happened that day," Kuro said. Shiroi nodded. Yuri and three other servants walked into the dining room and set down their dinner before them. Kuro and Shiroi talked for a little while longer before they went silent for most of the time. At the very end of their dinner, Kuro finally decided to say something.

"Shiroi, are you ok," he asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why," she questioned.

"Well, you just seem a little down tonight."

"I'm just tired. I need to go back and get some rest in. I need to wake up a little on the early side for the meeting the Head Captain called for," Shiroi stated as she stood up from the table. Kuro sighed.

"Tell me, Shiroi, is everything ok," he asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine, Grandfather. Good night," she said before she left the dining room. She quickly got dressed in her nightgown before laying down in the bed. That night, Shiroi went into her inner world. It was a starry night. The moon was out, shining brightly. Shiroi looked around at her surroundings. She was in a huge meadow.

The forest that surrounded it stretched on for hours. She looked to the middle of the meadow. There was a fairly large pond there. Shiroi walked over to it. The pond was crystal clear. She could see the reflection of the moon there. She heard a roar behind her. She turned to see Yamishiryu flying towards her. The black dragon landed a few feet from Shiroi, tucking her dark purple-outlined, black wings into her sides.

"Yamishiryu, why did you call me here," she asked the dragon.

_We need to talk, Lady Shiroi_, the dragon replied.

"And about what?"

_We need to train more, especially on that one technique_. Shiroi looked away from Yamishiryu.

_You know what I mean, don't you, Lady Shiroi_, the dragon continued.

"Yes, but I don't know if I can handle it," Shiroi answered.

_You can, Lady Shiroi, you just need to train a little more before trying to control it. How about three more days of training before even trying to control it_, Yamishiryu suggested. Shiroi nodded after thinking about it for a few minutes.

_Alright, then shall we start_, Yamishiryu asked.

"Yes," Shiroi replied as she looked up at Yamishiryu. The black dragon was quickly surrounded by a dark cloud.

Only a few seconds later, the cloud disappeared. Where Yamishiryu was originally standing was a medium-height woman. She had long black hair that ran all the way down her back and had several streaks of dark purple in it. She had dark red eyes that pierced Shiroi's black ones. On the woman's back was a black tattoo of a dragon, much like Shiroi's. The woman was dressed in a dark purple dress that flowed continuously at the bottom. The dress was made completely of darkness.

This was Yamishiryu's more… human form. She had her more orginal form, the dragon, and her human form. She only used her human form when she was training with Shiroi. Yamishiryu smiled softly before holding her right hand before her. A zanpaku-to with a black hilt and guard appeared in her hand. Shiroi unsheathed her own zanpaku-to. The dark purple ribbon quickly wrapped itself around Shiroi's right wrist.

_Are you ready, Lady Shiroi_, the black-haired zanpaku-to asked her mistress. Shiroi nodded. The woman disappeared out of nowhere and appeared to Shiroi's right. She swung her sword, only to be blocked by Shiroi's.

_Not bad, Lady Shiroi, not bad at all_, Yamishiryu said.

"Thank you, Yamishiryu," Shiroi said as she jumped back a few feet. Shiroi pointed the blade at Yamishiryu.

"Kill all those that defy us, Yamishiryu," Shiroi said. The blade of the zanpaku-to turned a bright red color. The dark purple ribbon quickly wrapped itself around Shiroi's right wrist. Shiroi winced at the pain it brought. For some reason, whenever Shiroi used Shikai and Bankai, this would happen. In Bankai, though, it would wrap itself up to Shiroi's elbow. Yamishiryu smiled slightly.

_Shikai, really, Lady Shiroi? It seems that you really want to control this power_, Yamishiryu said.

"Well of course, Yamishiryu. This power makes me weak. If I don't get in under control, I can go out of control and kill anyone in my path if I ever try to use it. I don't want that to happen. This power can certainly help me bring all enemies of His Majesty down to their knees," Shiroi answered her. Yamishiryu disappeared.

_Good answer, Lady Shiroi_, Yamishiryu said from behind Shiroi. It seemed like hours before Shiroi was finally done training with Yamishiryu. She felt like she really didn't improve on her skills on controlling her last technique. She finally got out of her inner world and woke up for the day. It was around seven in the morning, way too early for Shiroi to really get going for the day. She stretched her arms above her head, quickly finding that was a mistake.

'Geez, Yamishiryu, don't you think you could have gone a little less hard on me,' Shiroi thought to her zanpaku-to.

_If I didn't go as hard as I did, you won't be able to control it_, Yamishiryu answered.

'Yeah, I guess you're right.' Shiroi stood up and quickly called for a maid to help her into her captain's uniform. As Shiroi and a maid was doing that, Yuri brought in a small breakfast for the Akuma noble. She set it down on her mistress's desk.

"Thank you. You both are dismissed," Shiroi said politely. Yuri and the second maid bowed before leaving her bedroom. Shiroi picked at her breakfast before she had to leave for her early morning meeting. She was there in a matter of seconds by flash-stepping the whole way. Once she had arrived, so did Shunsui.

"Lady Shiroi," he yelled as he walked over to her. Shiroi smiled softly.

"Captain Kyoraku, good morning," she said.

"Good morning to you too, Lady Shiroi," Shunsui said, "I can't believe that Old Man Yama is making us come here so early in the morning." Shunsui yawned deeply.

"I know what you mean, Captain Kyoraku, but we must do as he says."

"I know." All the other captains, except for Jushiro, who had unexpectedly fallen ill once again, arrived in no time. The meeting hall doors opened, finally letting the captains in. Shiroi took her place by the Head Captain's side just before the meeting began.

"Head Captain, why did you call us here," asked Aizen.

"We need to organize what we are going to do about these Ryoka," the old man said. Shiroi sighed softly as the meeting quickly went on its way. The captain's quickly figured that maybe it was about time they tried the war-like precautions.

Once the meeting was completely over, Shiroi decided to go back to the Rukon districts and see if she could find anything. Unfortunately, she was stopped by a bunch of guards. They weren't going to open the gate for her. She tried to order them to open the gate, but apparently the Head Captain had ordered that no captain, that included Shiroi, was to exit the Seireitei. She sighed as she returned to the Akuma manor.

'This sucks. I can't do my job while all of this is going on,' Shiroi thought to herself.

_You won't be able to anyway. Captain Kyoraku wouldn't let you get anywhere near the Rukon district without him_, Yamishiryu said to her mistress.

'Yeah, I know, but… I just need to get this job done soon.'

_I understand, Lady Shiroi. Let's just get home so that you can get some rest. After all, we did battle last night. You must be a little tired._

'Yes, I actually am, Yamishiryu.'

_Well, then let's get you home_. Before Shiroi could even try to go in the direction of the Akuma manor, the alarms in the Seireitei went off, quickly getting Shiroi out of her thoughts.

"Attention, intruders in the Seireitei. I repeat…" Then only a couple seconds later, a loud boom was heard from above. Shiroi looked up to the sky, trying to found out what was happening. She found her answer pretty quickly. Just to the right of the west gate was a large orb of some kind in the air. It was hitting the Sekkiseki membrane that surrounded the Seireitei.

"What's going on," Shiroi whispered to herself. She then felt a very familiar spiritual pressure coming from the orb.

'What the hell is he doing? Is he nuts,' she thought to herself. She watched as the orb went through the Sekkiseki membrane and was completely broken down. Only a few seconds later, four arrows were shot out from the broken down orb, each going in a different direction. She could feel the familiar spiritual pressure heading to the right.

"Great, the Ryoka split up. This just makes our job so much harder," Shiroi whispered to herself.

'Why on earth would they go to such great lengths to get Rukia free? This makes no sense,' Shiroi thought to herself. The next thing she knew, a small hell butterfly flew over to her, landing on her right shoulder. There was going to be an emergency captain's meeting while the lieutenants went out to find the Ryoka tomorrow morning yet again. Shiroi sighed. At least they weren't having the meeting today. Shiroi walked to the back of the Akuma manor, but as she was walking back, she felt a strong spiritual pressure nearby. She realized that it was the orange-haired Shinigami from the World of the Living. She felt another spiritual pressure near him. It felt like a third seat's spiritual pressure.

'Should I go and check it out,' Shiroi thought.

_I think it would be a good idea_, Yamishiryu said, _then you'll be able to find out how good this orange-haired Shinigami really is._

'But I need to get home, Yamishiryu.'

_I know, but still…_

'Alright, alright. Now which direction is it from? I think it's to the right.'

_I think so as well._ Shiroi quickly flash-stepped to the right, heading in the direction of the strong spiritual pressure. Once Shiroi had found the two spiritual pressures, she saw the orange haired Shinigami standing before a bald man. The orange-haired boy was standing in what appeared to be a giant sand pit. The bald man was holding his zanpaku-to in his right hand and his sheathe in his left.

She watched as their battle played out. She didn't dare let them know that she was nearby. If they found out she was there watching, the Ryoka would either run or be an idiot and try to take them both on. She watched as the orange-haired Shinigami was able to counter the bald man's attack. He hit the other man's spear up into the air before swinging his black and silver zanpaku-to down, and down the bald man's left side. The bald man fell to the ground, defeated. Shiroi placed her right hand on her zanpaku-to's hilt, ready to interrupt if needed.

_Lady Shiroi, wait. Look at what he's doing_, Yamishiryu told her mistress. Shiroi looked again at the orange-haired individual. He took some kind of styptic from his opponent's sheathe, and placed it on his opponent's and his own wounds.

'What is he doing,' Shiroi thought, 'These Ryoka aren't as bad as we thought, now that I think about it.'

_Yes, it seems they really don't want to fight us, but they will if they have to_, Yamishiryu stated.

'It certainly looks like it,' Shiroi thought. She stood up from her hiding spot and headed towards the Akuma manor, making sure not to let the orange-haired Shinigami feel her presence. Once she had arrived back at the manor, she immediately decided to go back to her bedroom. She needed to think. She opened the door to her private garden, letting in the cool air. Yamishiryu appeared, in her dragon form, near the small wooden path outside the door.

"Yamishiryu, I really hope this ends soon. For all I know, my disorder will activate again," Shiroi said.

_Lady Shiroi, you will be fine. I'm sure the Thirteen Court Guard Squads will get on this_, the black dragon said, _They'll have this all finished just before Rukia Kuchiki's execution._

"I hope you are right, Yamishiryu," Shiroi said.

_So do I, Lady Shiroi_. Shiroi sat herself down at her desk and pulled out some paperwork that had been sent to her from the Royal Dimension. She quickly filled out and signed anything she need to. Once she was done with that, she felt several spiritual pressures nearby. They were all from various squads. A big group of them were from Squad Eleven, which Shiroi had expected.

She decided to take her finished paperwork back to the Royal Dimension herself. She went to her family's Senkaimon and told the guards that she was going to the Royal Dimension. They nodded before opening the Senkaimon. Shiroi stepped into the Senkaimon and headed to the Royal Guard. It wasn't before long that Shiroi arrived at the Squad 01 barracks. She dropped her paperwork onto her desk. Her black-haired, sky blue-eyed lieutenant looked up from her own paperwork.

"I'm guessing you were able to finish that," she said as Shiroi quickly sorted the paperwork into small piles.

"Yes, Maya, I was able to finish it all. Do you think you can go and give it to His Majesty for me? I need to go back and help settle down the Ryoka chaos down there," Shiroi said. She walked over to the door.

"Shiroi, good luck and please… be careful," Maya said. Shiroi nodded before she left for the Akuma manor. As she was walking back to her bedroom, she found that her right ankle was bothering her. She stopped and sat down onto the wooden hallway. She leaned against the pole that was near the edge and stretched her right leg out. She sighed as she tried to relax. It wasn't long before Yamishiryu joined her. The black dragon laid down next to edge of the wooden hallway, just within Shiroi's reach.

"Yamishiryu, do you have any ideas as to what I should do? I mean with this whole Rukia Kuchiki execution. There's a part of me that thinks this whole thing is a set up. Don't you feel like that as well," Shiroi questioned.

_It does feel like that, Lady Shiroi, but there's a part of me that thinks that maybe it's not_, the black dragon said.

"Now that I think about it, I feel like it's both ways, but there's still something wrong." Yamishiryu sighed.

"What is it, Yamishiryu?"

_I don't know, but have you felt lately like there's something around Aizen. Something a little… off about him_, Yamishiryu asked.

"I've always felt that way about him ever since I met him. I know he's a nice guy, but there is something off. He has to be hiding something, but what is a really good question. Is that what you mean?"

_Yes, Lady Shiroi, it is._ Shiroi sighed and rested her hand on her right hand.

"Hmm… I wonder…," Shiroi trailed off.

_What, Lady Shiroi? What is it?_

"I was just wondering if Shunsui or Jushiro could possibility know if Aizen or any of the other captains have been acting weird lately." Yamishiryu nodded.

_You could be right. Do we want to go see if that's the case? _Shiroi looked up at the sky. It was getting late. It was probably around dinner time.

"No, maybe tomorrow if we have the time," Shiroi said as she looked down at the black dragon. Yamishiryu nodded. Shiroi stood up from her sitting position. She stretched her arms above her head, getting herself ready to go get some dinner.

_Lady Shiroi._ Shiroi looked back at the black dragon.

"What is it, Yamishiryu," she asked.

_I want you to know that you don't need to hesitate to use your power when it's necessary_, she said, _You are growing stronger by the minute._ Shiroi looked down.

"Yamishiryu, I… I need to go. I don't want to be late for dinner," she said. Shiroi walked away from her zanpaku-to and headed to the dining room. Yamishiryu sighed before disappearing back into her sword form. Shiroi placed her hand on the hilt of her zanpaku-to. She could feel Yamishiryu was back in there.

'I'm sorry, Yamishiryu, but I don't want to talk about that right now,' she thought to the zanpaku-to.

_It's ok, Lady Shiroi, I understand_, Yamishiryu said. Shiroi stopped before the dining room, slid the door open, and entered the room, closing the door behind her. Kuro looked up at his granddaughter as she sat down at the table.

"Good, Shiroi, you're on time again," Kuro said, smiling slightly.

"Good evening, Grandfather," she said once she had gotten herself situated.

"How are you doing, Shiroi," he asked her as Yuri and some servants placed their dinner in front of them.

"I'm doing fine. And you, Grandfather?"

"Good as well."

"Grandfather, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Have you heard anything about this Rukia Kuchiki case?"

"I have actually. You should be glad that our elders take care of their daily entries unlike other noble families' elders." Almost everyday, the Akuma elders would write about anything interesting that either contributed to the Akuma Clan or not in a book. That's what each book, well more like two-thirds of them, are. The Akuma elders have been very good about that. When they do this, they know that the head of the Akuma Clan will either find this information necessary or not later and just knowing that it could be useful keeps them doing this little "chore".

"Yes, it is most certainly useful that they do those little entries," Shiroi said," What exactly do you know, Grandfather?"

"I know that she has been moved to the Repentance cell already," Kuro stated. Shiroi sighed.

"You know too much then. The Akuma elders do too well at their daily entries."

"Well, they do have the help of our guards that go sneaking around to find as much information as they can." Shiroi shrugged.

"That's true, but still."

"I know, Shiroi, I know. I don't need to know as much as I do." Shiroi nodded, quickly agreeing with her grandfather on that note.

* * *

_Yamishiryu- dark, death dragon_

Please Review


	9. Death Arrives

I honestly think that these updates are going to grow even more spread out over each update until I can get more time to work on them. I'm sorry guys for the late updates. I'll try to get better.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach no do I make any profit from it

* * *

The Thirteen Court Guard Squads had finally sent out almost thirty or more groups to search for the Ryoka. Most of them were from Squad Eleven, which was kind of figured. There were Squad Four relief groups that went around healing anyone they found on their routines, which was quite often. Shiroi was impressed that the Thirteen Court Guard Squads were handling this situation quite well, but it looked like that was going to go downhill very soon.

They had received information that there were five people and one animal running around as the Ryoka. Five people and an animal planning on rescuing Rukia Kuchiki… there was no way they were going to succeed. There just weren't enough people to help them with this mission. Yet somehow they were able to get as far as they did. It had only been a few days since the Ryoka had been in the Soul Society, and already more and more of the Seireitei was being destroyed by all the huge battles. Shiroi was relaxing in her private garden when she thought she felt someone's spiritual pressure rise up quickly.

She looked up at the sky. It had to be five in the afternoon. Who in their right mind would be battling right now? Shiroi quickly tried to find where the spiritual pressure was coming from. Her eyes widened when she found it. The spiritual pressure was near the bottom of the Senzaikyu. Both spiritual pressures felt familiar. One of them she knew it was the orange-haired Shinigami that she had heard about in the last couple of days, Ichigo Kurosaki. The other one made Shiroi groan. It was Byakuya's lieutenant, Renji Abarai.

'What does he think he's doing? He's supposed to be in a meeting room with the other lieutenants. He could get into serious trouble if he doesn't stop now,' Shiroi thought to herself. She quickly told herself that she shouldn't be worrying about something like this. He was a lieutenant. He could handle the Ryoka by himself.

She decided to go walking around the Seireitei to see how the Thirteen Court Guard Squads were holding up. At one point, she ran into Shunsui and they went off to the Squad Eight barracks to have a little chat. As she walked towards the Squad Four barracks around nine in the evening after her little chat with Shunsui, she heard two people talking in a room just a few feet in front of her.

"When I found him, he was unconscious. If only I had gotten there in time to fight alongside him, this never would have happened," said a male voice.

"Don't blame yourself, Izuru, it wasn't your fault," said a small female's voice. Shiroi stood near the doorway, waiting for the right time to walk in on their conversation.

"At any rate, now is the time to take care of him. I'll go make the call for the emergency relief team."

"That is out of the question," said a new voice. Shiroi's black-colored eyes widened at the new voice. It was Byakuya's voice.

"Captain Kuchiki," said the female.

"He is to be taken to prison," continued Byakuya.

"But, Captain Kuchiki, Renji's been badly wounded by fighting Ryoka by himself. If he doesn't get treatment soon…," began the female.

"Then I'm afraid he will die," Byakuya interrupted, "It was his fault to fight that Ryoka alone. In this situation, there is no need for a defeat. I have no use for a fool who doesn't understand that. The very sight of him breathing offends me. Take him away." Shiroi's eyes widened even more from the shock of hearing those words come from Byakuya's mouth, but he was right. At a time like this, it was either win or die.

"You can't do that," yelled the female.

"Momo," said the male named Izuru. Shiroi now realized that the two people Byakuya was talking to were Lieutenant Izuru Kira of Squad Three and Lieutenant Momo Hinamori of Squad Five.

"Know your place, Lieutenant," Shiroi yelled from her spot. Shiroi walked around the corner and into the room. She looked at the three people before her. Momo was a small girl with short, brown hair and hazel eyes. Izuru was a medium-height man with blonde hair and blue eyes. As her eyes looked over at Byakuya, she could see he was not happy at all, but there was something else. Shiroi walked forward, ignoring Byakuya's gaze, and stood between Momo and Byakuya.

"You need to know your place, Lieutenant. You can't talk to your superiors in that way," she said.

"But…," began Momo.

"I don't give a damn. When your superior gives you an order, you must do it without a second thought… especially at a time like this." Shiroi walked over to Renji's side. The man's upper torso was covered in white bandages. He was breathing heavily, maybe even having trouble breathing period. It appeared to look like he could die. Shiroi felt sorry for the man, but she knew better.

With war-time precautions already given out, people were to respect them and follow them without a second thought, and it was quite obvious that Renji had not followed them, at all.

"It is quite obvious to me that he didn't know any better. He should have known perfectly well that he shouldn't have gone after a Ryoka by himself, yet he let his emotions get the better of him," Shiroi said, "Now, Hinamori, Kira, take him to prison… and that's an order." Shiroi turned away from them and started to walk away, but someone grabbed her right arm.

"Please, Lady Shiroi, won't you sympathize just a little bit," asked Momo. Shiroi didn't think about her next move. She never did when she was upset with a subordinate not following an order that she gave. She took Momo by her shihakusho and slammed her back into the wooden wall.

"Lady Shiroi," Momo said, shocked. Byakuya's slate gray eyes widened just a bit. He hadn't expected to see Shiroi do something like that. Actually, to be exact, he hadn't ever seen Shiroi this upset at a subordinate before. She was usually very calm around her subordinates. Izuru placed his right hand on his zanpaku-to's hilt, but…

"If you even think about it, I will personally tell His Majesty to have you discharged," Shiroi threatened without looking back at the blonde-haired lieutenant. Izuru let go of his zanpaku-to's hilt and straightened up.

"Now, listen here, Lieutenant, if you ever try to change your superior's mind when they have already made their mind up again, you will get in trouble," Shiroi said. She let Momo's shihakusho go, making the small girl slid down till she was sitting on the floor.

"I don't know how Captain Aizen as treated you, but if you ever acted like that in front of His Majesty, I can assure you, you would be killed. He doesn't tolerate sympathy when war-time orders or precautions have been given," Shiroi said. Once she was done saying that, she turned to Byakuya.

"I believe she will now listen to you, Captain Kuchiki. I apologize for intruding in your conversation." Byakuya shook his head.

"It's fine. I appreciate the help," he said before he left. Shiroi sighed before she too left. Izuru ran over to Momo.

"Momo, are you alright," he asked her. She nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"My, my… aren't they both just cruel? Quite the pair they would make," someone said. Izuru and Momo both looked to see it was Gin Ichimaru, captain of Squad Three.

"They are both so cold… Lady Shiroi and Captain Kuchiki… hmm, quite the pair indeed," Gin said, smirking to himself. Meanwhile, Shiroi was walking back to the Akuma manor when she heard someone call for her. She looked over her right shoulder to see it was Byakuya.

"Captain Kuchiki, what do you need," she asked as they continued to walk towards the Akuma manor.

"Back there… why did you defend my decision," he asked, "knowing you, I thought you would have defended Lieutenant Hinamori."

"I have changed from the fragile girl I once was over a hundred years ago. I am no longer that girl. I am now Shiroi Akuma, head of the Akuma Clan and captain of the Royal Guard. Weakness is something that I can no longer show to the Shinigami here in the Soul Society," Shiroi answered, "Plus that girl needed to know her place."

"I just thought you would have used less force."

"Hmph… when you are in the Royal Guard, sympathy for someone who disobeyed a direct order is not tolerated. She should be glad that I'm not going to tell His Majesty this."

"Why won't you tell him this?" Shiroi stopped walking. Byakuya stopped a few feet in front of her.

"It's because he doesn't have the time to deal with someone in the Soul Society who isn't obeying orders," Shiroi said, looking down at the ground, "Thank you for walking with me halfway. I can get home by myself from here." Byakuya nodded.

"Alright, Lady Shiroi," he said before he left her side for the night. Shiroi sighed before she started walking again.

_Lady Shiroi_, said Yamishiryu.

'What is it, Yamishiryu,' Shiroi thought back to her zanpaku-to.

_I have a very bad feeling about something._

'And what would that be?'

_I don't know, but can't you feel something bad looming over the Seireitei?_ Shiroi thought about Yamishiryu's question for a little while. Now that she thought about it, she did feel like something was going to happen… and very soon in fact.

'Yes, now I can feel it,' Shiroi said after a long time of thinking.

_I hope that this bad feeling does not involve you_, Yamishiryu stated.

'I agree, Yamishiryu. I hope that I'm not involved.' Shiroi arrived at the Akuma manor around nine thirty. She yawned as she walked into the Akuma manor.

"Shiroi," someone yelled out. Shiroi groaned, knowing she was going to get it now. She turned around.

"Yes, Grandfather," she asked.

"Why are you late for dinner," Kuro asked. His dark brown eyes were no long kind. They were filled with anger.

"I'm sorry that I'm so late, but I got caught up in a conversation with Shunsui and then I had to check and make sure that the other squads were ok. After that, I had to handle a disobedient lieutenant," Shiroi explained. Kuro sighed.

"As long as you were doing work and were not trying to skip dinner," Kuro said. Shiroi sighed, relieved.

"Good, I'm glad that you understand; now if you don't mind, I'm going to go take a shower before going to bed." Shiroi started walking away, but Kuro grabbed her left shoulder.

"Not without getting something to eat first," Kuro said in a very threatening tone.

"Fine," Shiroi groaned. Once Shiroi had some food and had taken her shower, she quickly got herself into her bed, but before she actually went to bed, she started thinking about what had happened earlier. How could Byakuya want his own lieutenant arrested?

'I understand that his lieutenant was out of line, but you think he would try to understand his situation,' Shiroi thought.

_Are you regretting what you had done earlier, Lady Shiroi_, Yamishiryu asked.

'A little, but I had to keep my place as His Majesty's military advisor,' Shiroi thought.

_Lady Shiroi, it's ok if you want to disagree with another captain… even if it's Byakuya._

'I know, Yamishiryu, I know.' Shiroi laid her head on her pillow and closed her black-colored eyes. Before she even knew it, she was asleep. She was literally that tired. Most likely from all the stress of the invasion was getting to her. It was either that or her stress disorder was starting to get to her again. Shiroi was hoping it was the first option. She woke up the next morning to a very rude awakening. Shiroi could hear all the servants running around outside her bedroom door. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, yawning loudly.

"What is going on out there," Shiroi asked quietly to herself. She pulled the covers off of herself before she walked over to the door. She slid it open just in time to see Yuri walk by.

"Yuri, what's going on," she asked her head maid. The black-haired maid turned to her mistress.

"Lady Shiroi, I'm sorry that we woke you, but your grandfather wants us to get ready for a guest's arrival," Yuri answered.

"And who would this guest be exactly?"

"Your brother, Lord Kuya." Shiroi's eyes narrowed at the sound of her brother's name.

"Why is he coming here?"

"He says that he's worried about you, Lady Shiroi, and so he wants to come and see how you are doing." The Akuma noble sighed.

"He worries way too much." Yuri nodded.

"I will most certainly agree. Now, if you'll excuse me, Lady Shiroi, I need to help the other servants prepare." Shiroi nodded and the head maid ran off to do her chores. Shiroi slid the door closed again before turning to get herself into her captain's uniform. She didn't want any of the servants to help her since they were all getting ready for her brother's arrival.

Just then, a small hell butterfly flew into the room as Shiroi pulled on her haori, the last item she had to put on. The hell butterfly came and landed on Shiroi's right shoulder. She listened as horrible news was told to her. Her black-colored eyes widened as she listened to the news.

"No, that couldn't possibly be true…," she whispered.

_What's the matter, Lady Shiroi_, Yamishiryu asked.

"Aizen… he's… been murdered."

_Lady Shiroi, are you sure?_

"I don't know, but the message says they had to arrest Lieutenant Kira and Lieutenant Hinamori for something."

_And what was that something?_

"It doesn't say, but knowing Hinamori, she disobeyed orders yet again," Shiroi whispered.

_After her little display yesterday, Lady Shiroi, I would definitely have to agree. Where did they put her and Kira?_

"Kira is in the Squad Three prison cells and Hinamori is in the Squad Ten prison cells."

_Do they say where Aizen was killed?_

"Yes, near the Repentance Cell." The hell butterfly flew away after Shiroi had said that. Shiroi quickly thought things through. She had to see the murder scene herself. She flash-stepped over to the murder scene, already feeling spiritual pressures near the sight. Once she had arrived, she saw that Squad Four and Twelve were already on the case.

They were looking over Aizen's body and the surrounding area, most likely trying to see if they could find any unusual spiritual pressure around. They were currently unlucky. They couldn't find anything. Shiroi looked over to one of the buildings nearby. She could see dried blood stained on one of its walls. Most likely the blood was Aizen's. It ran from middle of the building to several feet below the rooftop.

"Lady Shiroi," she heard someone call her name. She turned to see Unohana walking towards her.

"Captain Unohana, can I ask you if you have made any progress in figuring out who did this," Shiroi asked the black-haired captain once she had finally arrived by the noble's side.

"No, we have not. In all honesty, I have no idea who could have done this. Everyone was either friends or acquaintances with Captain Aizen. He didn't have many enemies," Unohana said. Shiroi nodded.

"That's just odd that something like that would happen," Shiroi said, "and we won't have any leads what so ever." Unohana nodded.

"Lady Shiroi, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and look over Aizen's body to see if I can conclude on how he was killed."

"Go ahead, Captain Unohana. I have other things to take care of." Shiroi left the two squads to their work and went off back to her manor. She had to be there for when her brother arrived, as long as he hadn't arrived yet. She sighed when she felt Kuya's spiritual pressure nearby.

'One of these days I might just kill them for bothering me,' she thought. As she walked through the Akuma manor, she could feel Kuya's spiritual pressure moving around. Either he was looking for her or he was talking to their grandfather. She groaned softly to herself when she had turned the corner. Walking towards her was Kuya.

"Shiroi, there you are," he said. He looked angry.

"What is it, Kuya? Why are you here," she asked him.

"I'm here for a couple of reasons. One of them is to make sure that you are ok," he answered.

"I don't need you to come and check up on me," Shiroi said as she turned away from him. Kuya grabbed her right arm.

"Shiroi," he said sternly.

"Kuya, just leave; you are not needed here at the moment." Shiroi pulled her arm out of his grasp before walking away from him. Kuya sighed.

"You're as stubborn as always. You definitely got that from Mother." Shiroi stopped in her tracks.

"Shiroi, I worry about you sometimes. Ever since Kaito died, you have gotten worse with your stress disorder. I don't want you to become like Mother did before she died." Shiroi quickly remembered that very day she first saw her mother look truly… upset.

Shiroi was about six and she had been running around the manor, trying to find her mother. Eventually, she was able to find her, but Ayame Akuma was not feeling well at all. Shiroi knew that; she could tell by the look on her face.

"Mommy, are you ok," she asked in a small voice.

"I'm fine, sweety, but do me a favor and go find your father," Ayame said in a very weak voice. Shiroi nodded. She quickly ran and found her father in the next hallway. She watched from a distance as her father took care of her mother.

He helped Ayame down onto the floor. Tears ran down her mother's kind face. Shiroi knew something was definitely wrong. She looked down at her mother's right arm. She hadn't noticed, before now, that her mother's arm was twitching uncontrollably.

Shiroi shook her head, quickly pushing the memory away.

"I won't become like Mother did that day. I just won't," Shiroi said angrily, "Now leave. I believe you have a squad to train." Kuya sighed. He knew all too well that it was no use to try to convince his sister on a subject like this, but that didn't stop him saying…

"You don't know that though. You don't know for certain that it won't happen to you."

"I know that back then, Mother did not have the medicine that I had. My healers told me that I have a higher chance of not getting it."

"If I remember correctly that was about a twenty-six percent chance. That's not much at all!" Kuya was getting angry now. Shiroi turned to look at her older brother.

"I want you to leave now. I don't want to discuss this subject with you anymore." She turned and left, not saying another word to Kuya.

* * *

_Yamishiryu- dark, death dragon_

Please Review


	10. First Escape

Ok, I'm starting to think that I'm going to have one update per month because that's all I can get. I do have inspiration, guys, I promise you that, it's just I've been incredibly busy lately, especially this month. Enjoy guys, because next chapter… I won't give you any spoilers(:

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach nor make any profit from it

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Shiroi found herself near the room of with the small shrine for Kaito, her mother, and the heads of the Akuma Clan before her. She stood before the room, deciding on whether or not to go inside the room. She decided not to and instead went back to her bedroom. As she was walking around the manor before, she had felt Kuya's spiritual pressure disappear into the Akuma Clan Senkaimon. He had finally gone back to the Royal Dimension. Shiroi sighed, relieved. She arrived at her bedroom, closing the door behind her before she opened the door to the garden. Yamishiryu appeared at her usual place at the edge of the wooden pathway. The black dragon looked over at her mistress as she changed into a light blue nightdress.

_Lady Shiroi_, the dragon spoke after a little while of silence.

"Yes, Yamishiryu," Shiroi asked as she brushed through her long, dark blonde hair with her right hand, "what is it?"

_I am just curious, but are you sure about what you said to Lord Kuya?_

"What do you mean?"

_I mean, are you sure it was ok for you to say what you did to him? Afterall he is your older brother._ Shiroi stopped what she was doing. Her hands fell from her hair and to her sides. Her black-colored eyes looked down at the floor.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know. There's a part of me that doesn't know what I'm saying or doing anymore." Yamishiryu looked at her mistress. She had a faraway look in her eyes, almost like she wasn't there anymore.

_Lady Shiroi_, Yamishiryu said, quickly grabbing the Akuma noble's attention.

"Hmmm…."

_Are you ok?_

"Yes, I'm ok… Can you do me a favor, Yamishiryu?"

_Anything, Lady Shiroi… what is it?_

"Could you help me train even harder to get this power under control?" Yamishiryu nodded.

_I can certainly help you with that._

"Thank you, Yamishiryu." Shiroi looked away from the black dragon. She was glad that maybe for once she could gain control of this power. It was a power unheard of. There were always rumors that surrounded her and her zanpaku-to, but maybe for once Shiroi could show people that her power wasn't as terrifying as it sounded. She walked over to Yamishiryu's side, placing her hand on the dragon's head. She looked up at the night sky. There were some clouds in the sky, covering up half the stars and some of the moon, making it quite a warm night out tonight. Shiroi looked back down at her zanpaku-to.

"Yamishiryu, may I ask you something?"

_Yes, what is it, Lady Shiroi?_

"Ever since I learned your name, you have always called me Lady Shiroi. Are you ever going to call me just Shiroi, no "Lady"?"

_I can do that… Shiroi, if that is what you want. I just wanted to give you the respect that you deserve._

"Yamishiryu…"

_You deserve some respect from me and I wanted to show you that._

"You already do." The black dragon lifted her head to look at her mistress.

"And I appreciate it as well," Shiroi said. Yamishiryu nodded.

_You should get some sleep. You have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow._

"Yes, you have a point. Good night, Yamishiryu."

_Good night, Shiroi._ Shiroi walked back into her bedroom, closing the porch door behind her. She heard Yamishiryu disappear into thin air behind her. She knew the dragon was just going back to her zanpaku-to form. Shiroi laid herself on top of her bed, too tired to even pull the covers over her body. She quickly fell asleep without even noticing. The very next morning, she woke up to silence. The birds weren't even chirping, giving Shiroi quite the eerie feeling.

'Jeez, not even the birds are out. Is it really that war-like out there that it would become this silent in the Seireitei,' Shiroi thought to herself. She got herself dressed for the day and walked down to the kitchen. Yuri was the only servant in the kitchen at the moment. The black-haired, hazel-haired maid was surprised to see Shiroi up and about this early in the morning. She was never up before nine in the morning unless she absolutely had to be.

"Lady Shiroi, what are you doing up so early," she asked her mistress.

"I just couldn't sleep," Shiroi responded. Yuri sighed.

"Is your disorder possibly starting up again?"

"I have no idea. It could be just from everything happening right now." Yuri nodded.

"Let's hope that it's not that. Lady Shiroi, would you like anything to eat for breakfast?"

"No, thank you, Yuri, I don't want anything. Not now anyway," Shiroi said. Yuri looked over at her mistress.

"Are you sure," she questioned Shiroi, who nodded her answer.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Yuri sighed.

"Alright. I'm going to go do the rest of my chores. If you change your mind, Lady Shiroi, just call me and I'll make you something." Shiroi nodded just as Yuri walked out of the kitchen. Shiroi sat there for a little while longer, trying to figure out what to do. It wasn't very long before a servant came into the kitchen looking for her. Apparently, Byakuya Kuchiki had come to see her. Shiroi was amazed that the Squad Six captain would come here to see her especially this early in the morning. She followed the servant to a separate room where Shiroi and her family used to relax in when they were together.

"He's in here, Lady Shiroi. Would you like any refreshments," the servant asked.

"No, it wouldn't be that long. You may go," Shiroi said. The servant bowed before leaving Shiroi's side. Shiroi turned to the door and opened it. The room was the biggest room in the Akuma manor. It had to be almost three times as big as Shiroi's bedroom. The room was split into two. One area was for three chairs and one sofa. It was the more adult side of the room. The other area was for a place for small children to play with their toys. Shiroi could remember that her family would gather in that room after dinner and just enjoy each other's company.

Shiroi looked to one of the chairs to see Byakuya was standing near it, looking at something on the side table next to it. It was a picture of Shiroi and her family when she was a lot younger. Her mother was in that picture, holding small, four year-old Shiroi in her arms. The black-haired captain turned to her once he had felt her presence in the room.

"I'm guessing you are wondering why I'm here, Lady Shiroi," he said.

"Yes, I am, Captain Kuchiki. I don't get visitors this much during war time… and especially this early in the morning," Shiroi said as she walked into the middle of the room.

"I was wondering if you have seen this orange-haired Shinigami ever since the Ryoka have entered the Seireitei," Byakuya questioned her. Shiroi looked at him, unhesitant about the question.

"No, I have not," Shiroi said as she looked over at him.

_Shiroi, why are you lying to him_, Yamishiryu told her.

'Because I don't want him ridiculing me about not going after the Ryoka,' Shiroi thought to her zanpaku-to.

_Shiroi…_

'I don't want to hear it, Yamishiryu.' Yamishiryu quickly backed down from the situation.

"Are you sure, Lady Shiroi?"

"Yes." Byakuya sighed softly to just himself.

"Alright, then I apologize for taking up your time. Excuse me." Byakuya immediately walked out of the room, not looking back at Shiroi. Shiroi breathed out softly. She hadn't expected him to ask her a question like that out of nowhere, but thankfully she was able to think of an answer in just a matter of seconds, even if it was a lie.

_Shiroi, please, tell me why you didn't tell him the truth_, Yamishiryu asked after Byakuya had left.

'I thought I already told you that, Yamishiryu,' Shiroi thought to her zanpaku-to.

_Yes, you did, Shiroi._

'Then do you understand why I lied?'

_Yes, I believe so._

'Good.' Shiroi was pulled from her conversation with Yamishiryu when she felt a very familiar spiritual pressure rise just a little bit.

"That's…" Shiroi didn't think of her next move. She just flash-stepped out to the location of the battle. It was near the Repentance Cell, but not near enough. Shiroi found that Kenpachi Zaraki was fighting against the orange-haired Shinigami. Technically speaking it was more like he had fought. Shiroi was standing on top of a building when she saw that the orange-haired Shinigami was lying on the ground with Kenpachi just across from him. They were both covered in blood.

'How could I miss the huge amount of spiritual pressure from these two fighting,' Shiroi asked herself.

_You were paying attention to other things, Shiroi_, Yamishiryu said. Shiroi closed her eyes.

'That's true.' Shiroi opened them to only see that the orange-haired Shinigami was left. Kenpachi must have been moved to someplace else to be healed. She watched as a black cat came from the shadows and walked over to the Ryoka. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Is that who I think it is," Shiroi whispered. She jumped off the building and landed on the ground just below her.

"Hey, you… cat," she said. The black cat looked at her with golden eyes.

"Are you who I think you are," she questioned the cat.

"Who do you think I am," the cat asked.

"You're Yoruichi Shihoin, are you not?" The cat smiled a little bit before changing into a dark-shinned woman with dark purple hair and golden eyes. Shiroi took her haori off and threw it at the woman.

"At least put this on, Yoruichi," she said, "I don't want to see you freaken naked for God's sake." Yoruichi smiled as she pulled the haori on.

"It has been a long time, Shiroi. How have you been?"

"Been quite fine thank you, but tell me, Yoruichi, why are you here? Don't tell me you're with the Ryoka?"

"And what if I am? Are you going to attack me?" Shiroi hesitated with the last question. Was she going to attack an old friend? Shiroi shook her head.

"There's something strange going on and I want to know what. I think it involves Aizen's death and Rukia's execution."

"Are you telling me that you don't know what side you are on now?"

"That would be correct."

"Then come with me, Shiroi. I will need your help."

"With what exactly?"

"We'll have to wait and see." Shiroi sighed.

"Alright." She followed Yoruichi to a hiding spot close enough to Sokyoku Hill and yet still undetected by anyone in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. There they could heal Ichigo Kurosaki without anyone interfering. They were probably there for several hours before they had finally gotten Ichigo completely healed. Shiroi was dressed in her black shihakusho and her white haori, leaning against one of the walls near Ichigo's bed. She had heard some information that another Ryoka had been placed into jail. He had been spared his life by Shunsui. Shiroi was amazed that Shunsui wouldn't kill him. Most likely he was going to try to use him for any information that he would give out.

"Hmm…," she heard Ichigo moan as he came to. Yoruichi was back in her cat form this time and was sitting by Ichigo's side.

"Where the heck am I," Ichigo asked as he opened his eyes. Out of nowhere he sat up, which was probably a mistake. He made is wounds open up a bit. He held his stomach with his right arm as he doubled over in pain. He looked over at Shiroi once he had enough strength to do so and the first thing that he noticed was the gold-outlined, white haori.

"Are you one of the captains," he asked through clenched teeth.

"Ichigo, it's ok. She's with us now. She has started to think that maybe Rukia is innocent. Am I right, Shiroi," Yoruichi asked as she placed a black paw on Ichigo's left arm. Did she really now think that Rukia was innocent? If she did, that meant she was going against His Majesty's orders. Although, he did tell her to fix what was going on down here, he never said how. So as long as she got her orders done, she could do as she pleased.

"I wouldn't say that I think Rukia is innocent, but something is strange about her execution constantly being changed," Shiroi answered.

"Yoruichi, explain to me, how did I get here," Ichigo asked.

"I carried you here after I had changed into my orginal form," Yoruichi explained.

"Right, your orginal form," Ichigo said nodding, but it was before long that he stopped.

"Wait… your orginal form?"

"Yes, you idiot. Did you really think that a cat could talk? I'm really human. Here, I'll show you." Shiroi watched as Yoruichi slowly changed back into her human form once again. Ichigo pointed at Yoruichi as she walked over to him. He was completely stunned.

"You're a woman?"

"Yep. I only use the man voice in my cat form to hide who I really am," Yoruichi said, sitting down next to Ichigo's futon, "Now let me change your bandages."

"Would you PLEASE put some damn clothes on," Ichigo suddenly yelled. Shiroi started to laugh along with Yoruichi as the tanned woman put on her usual ninja clothes.

"Jeez, you act like you haven't seen a naked woman before," Yoruichi teased.

"That's because I haven't," Ichigo said, his back turned to Yoruichi. He looked at Shiroi, amazed that she wasn't bothered by this.

"How are you not bothered by her being naked," Ichigo asked the Royal Guard captain.

"I'm used to it. I've known her for most of my early life, up until hundred years ago at the very least," Shiroi answered.

"What happened…"

"That's something not to worry about right now, Ichigo," Shiroi said. All of a sudden spiritual pressure was felt through the hiding spot. Shiroi could tell that it was at the Repentance Cell. Ichigo got up from his futon and grabbed his zanpaku-to, placing it on his back.

"Ichigo, what do you think you are doing," Yoruichi asked.

"It's near Rukia. Ganju and Hanataro are there. I'm going," he said as he grabbed Yoruichi's artifact. Before Shiroi knew it, he was flying out of the hiding spot and towards the Repentance Cell. Yoruichi looked over at Shiroi.

"Do you think you could get us there quick enough," Yoruichi asked her.

"I think so. Yamishiryu," she called. The black dragon appeared inside the hiding spot, somehow not taking up the whole entire area.

_Yes, Shiroi, what do you need me to do_, the dragon zanpaku-to asked.

"I need you to fly us to the Repentance Cell and quickly at that," Shiroi said. Yamishiryu nodded.

_I can do that_, she said.

"Thank you. Yoruichi, why don't you sit between her two shoulders? I'll stand on her head." The tanned woman nodded and the two women quickly got on Yamishiryu.

"Alright, let's go, Yamishiryu." The dragon flapped her dark purple-outlined, black wings and carefully got herself outside. She raised her head and roared loudly. She flapped her wings again and this time got a lot more air under her wings. Yamishiryu was able to get the two of them there. Shiroi could see that Byakuya was there, standing before Ichigo on the bridge that led to the Repentance Cell. Byakuya's zanpaku-to was just a foot in front of him. He had it pointing to the sky, only meaning that he was…

"He's going to go into Shikai," Shiroi said. Her next move, she didn't think about one bit. All she knew was that she had to stop Byakuya. She just jumped off of Yamishiryu when they were just above the bridge. Shiroi unsheathed her zanpaku-to and once she had landed on the bridge, she forced her zanpaku-to against Byakuya's, stopping it from going into Shikai. Byakuya stared at her.

"Shiroi," he whispered, not using the correct formalities.

"Shiroi, what are you doing," she heard a voice yell behind her. She recognized that the voice belonged to Jushiro Ukitake.

"Byakuya, stop this. He's not worth it," she whispered.

"What are you talking about, Shiroi? He's a Ryoka. And why are you with him? I thought you were on the side of the law," Byakuya stated.

"I don't know what side I'm on anymore, Byakuya," she said. She put more pressure on Byakuya's zanpaku-to with her own, making him move back a little bit.

"Shiroi, stop this, now," Byakuya whispered, wanting only her to hear. Shiroi could tell just by his voice that he wasn't happy. She heard someone land on the bridge behind her, but she didn't dare look away. Byakuya looked behind her to see Yoruichi there.

"Yoruichi Shihoin…"

"Hello, Byakuya, it has been a long time," she said as she stood up.

"Yoruichi, grab Ichigo and get him out of here," Shiroi said, struggling slightly with Byakuya. He was trying to get her to move, but she wasn't going to back down now.

"What do you mean by grab me? I'm not going an…," Ichigo started, but he wasn't able to finish because Yoruichi stabbed him in the stomach with a drug. Ichigo fell forward into Yoruichi's arms, now unconscious. She flash-stepped off of the bridge and onto a building behind them all.

"Postpone this fight until later, Byakuya. By then, this boy will be more powerful than you. I will have him learn Bankai in three days," Yoruichi yelled.

"I doubt that will happen," Byakuya breathed.

"Shiroi, come on. Hurry up," she yelled.

"Kurasa," Shiroi whispered. A black mist quickly surrounded Byakuya, blinding him. Shiroi quickly stepped back before flash-stepping to Yoruichi. The mist cleared in just a matter of seconds. Byakuya and Jushiro looked up at Shiroi and Yoruichi. Shiroi could see some disappointment in their eyes, but there was something else in Byakuya's. It looked like… betrayal.

"Shiroi, let's go," Yoruichi said. Shiroi nodded and followed Yoruichi to a different hiding spot. Once they had arrived, they placed Ichigo on the dirt ground. Shiroi decided to lean against a rock as Yoruichi checked Ichigo's wounds.

"He's not going to forgive me, is he, Yoruichi," Shiroi asked.

"He will. Just give him time, Shiroi," Yoruichi answered without looking up from her work.

"You know I was talking about Byakuya, right?"

"Yes, I knew that." Shiroi looked at Ichigo.

"So how exactly are you planning on teaching him Bankai in three days," she asked as she motioned to Ichigo with her chin.

"The way that Kisuke created." Shiroi closed her eyes.

"Do you think Ichigo can do it?"

"Yes. I think he can."

"That's a lot of faith on one Shinigami."

"I know." Ichigo woke up only a few minutes later, really pissed off.

"Why did you get me out of there? I could have beaten that guy right then and there," Ichigo yelled.

"No, you would not have," Shiroi and Yoruichi both said at the same time.

"Why not?"

"You don't know Byakuya like we do," Shiroi said, "He is a strong opponent. You got lucky not having to go against anyone with a Bankai."

"Bankai?"

"Yes, Bankai. Here, I'll show you," Shiroi said as she unsheathed her zanpaku-to from its sheath. She placed her zanpaku-to in front of her and also placed her left hand on the silver blade. Slowly, she ran the blade on her hand, careful to not break any skin.

"Bankai." Darkness slowly surrounded her. It was only a matter of thirty seconds before Shiroi was finally revealed. She was dressed in a dark purple dress made of darkness. The back was open, showing that her tattoo was now shining a dark purple. The blade was now bright red and the ribbon was black. The ribbon had wrapped itself all the way up her forearm, stopping at her elbow.

Right behind her was the true form of Yamishiryu. You see, Yamishiryu wasn't any normal dragon. She was a phoenix dragon. Her wings and tail were those of phoenixes. Her body was as long as a dragon's and was scaly as well. Her black body was as black as midnight. Her bright red eyes looked ready to kill. She roared loudly up into the air.

"Satsujinsha Yamishiryu," Shiroi said.

"What the…," Ichigo said. He was almost completely speechless.

"This is Bankai. It's a lot more powerful than Shikai or nothing at all," Shiroi said, "Can you feel the amount of spiritual pressure, Ichigo? That's the huge difference between you and Byakuya right now as far as strength and power goes."

"That's how much stronger he is compared to me," Ichigo questioned.

"Yes. If you were to go against him right now with just your Shikai, you could possibly be dead," Yoruichi said, "And that's why we stopped you from fighting back there."

"But you guys could have saved Rukia instead of me."

"Rukia can't defeat Byakuya in her condition."

"She could have," Ichigo said. He was referring to Shiroi.

"No, this is not Shiroi's fight. It's yours. You are the one who needs to defeat Byakuya right now," Yoruichi said.

"But how?"

"By learning Bankai. Yes, normally mastering Bankai takes ten years, but…"

"I don't have time to do that!"

"Yes, I know, but I'm going to help you master Bankai in only three days. It is more dangerous, but it's our only option we have right now."

* * *

_Yamishiryu- dark, death dragon_

_Satsujinsha Yamishiryu- dark, death dragon killer_

_Kurasa- black mist_

Please Review


	11. The Truth

Oh, my freaken gosh this chapter is flippen long, but it had to be because there was a certain ending to this chapter I wanted. Anyway, I will also post the next chapter after this so that you guys don't have to wait for it. Hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach nor do I make any profit from it

* * *

It has been almost three days and Ichigo had improved just a little bit, but not much. They had gotten information, from Renji when he had come to train, about Rukia's execution. She was going to be executed in only twenty nine hours. That was a little over a full day ago when they were given that information. Renji had left just a few hours to go to go and recue Rukia himself since Ichigo was taking too much time.

Shiroi and Yoruichi had both felt Renji loss badly to Byakuya and that Byakuya was completely unharmed only moments ago. They had decided not to tell Ichigo this. It would only get his attention off of his training. Shiroi would have gone to make sure Renji was ok, but she couldn't leave now. She had to stay and make sure that no one else came to the hideout. If they did, it won't be good for both Shiroi and Yoruichi.

"We have only a few moments before Rukia is executed. What are we going to do, Yoruichi," she asked her friend softly as to make sure Ichigo did not hear.

"I don't know," Yoruichi replied. Meanwhile, at Sokyoku Hill, they were preparing the Sokyoku. They had already said the chant and Rukia was up in the air. Everyone watched as they once again chanted. This time it was for the Sokyoku. The ropes that surrounded it flew away to the bottom of the hill. The spear was enveloped by red and orange flames. It floated into the air and right itself so that its blade was pointed at Rukia. The Sokyoku was changed its form as it was floating in midair. It was now a huge phoenix made of fire.

"Kikou, this is the true form of the spearhead of Sokyoku and the executioner of the grand penalty. After it pierces through the criminal's body… the grand penalty ends," the Head Captain yells. A single tear ran down Rukia's face.

"Thank you, everyone," she whispered before she closed her eyes. Everyone stared as the phoenix flew at Rukia. It was time for the execution to begin. Just before the spear was to even come within five feet of Rukia, it was stopped. Everyone stared at the Sokyoku, confused. They could see something blocking the spear's way. Rukia opened her dark purple eyes when she didn't feel the spear hitting her. She saw a brown cloak flying in the wind several feet before her. Her eyes widened when she saw Ichigo standing before her.

"Hey," Ichigo said.

"Ichigo," she said, "… Idiot, I told you not to come back. How long will it take you to realize? You can't defeat my brother. He will kill you for sure this time. I didn't tell anyone to save me. I'm resigned to my fate. GO AWAY!"

Ichigo was taken back slightly by her words, but that didn't make him go away. Everyone watched; stunned by what was happening. They couldn't believe that Ichigo had stopped the Sokyoku, made up of thousands of zanpaku-to, had been stopped by a single zanpaku-to. The Sokyoku phoenix roared loudly before backing up. Ichigo turned to face it.

"So, it's going to back up to attack a second time. Alright, bring it," he said.

"Ichigo, you won't be able to stop it a second time. It's impossible," Rukia yelled at him, "Stop this, please." Ichigo didn't listen as he raced towards the fire phoenix.

Before the two could even reach each other, something dark came from nowhere and grabbed the phoenix by the throat. Everyone watched as a dark, black dragon tackled the Sokyoku to the ground. The spear's wooden handle broke in half, causing the phoenix to disappear. The black dragon landed on the ground, bringing in its dark purple wings into its sides. Someone dressed in a gold-outlined, white haori and black shihakusho got down from the dragon. The dragon roared loudly once its owner got off its back.

"Lady Shiroi, what are you doing," yelled Soi Fon.

"What some people should have done a long time ago," Shiroi said just as Jushiro arrived with his subordinates. Shiroi walked over to the Kido Corps men and took them all out with stabs to the neck. They all fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Ichigo, now would be a good time to get Rukia down," Shiroi yelled up at the orange-haired teenager. Ichigo did just that. He was able to destroy the Sokyoku stand in just a matter of seconds. He and Rukia were safely standing on a part of the stand that hadn't been destroyed. Ichigo was holding Rukia in his left arm as he had right hand holding his zanpaku-to. Shiroi looked over in the direction of the stairs to see Renji running over. She watched in horror as Ichigo threw Rukia into Renji's arms.

"He could have seriously hurt her," Shiroi said as she walked over to Yamishiryu and jumped onto her back.

"Come on, Yamishiryu, let's go," she said. The black dragon flapped her wings, quickly picking up air under her huge wings. Yamishiryu was floating up in the air, letting Shiroi get a view on what she could help with, but something came flying through the air, towards her and Yamishiryu. The two collided into a huge heap when they finally landed on the ground. Shiroi had luckily jumped off in time, landing on the ground, unharmed.

'Yamishiryu, are you alright,' she thought to her zanpaku-to.

_Yes, I'm alright_, Yamishiryu told her.

Shiroi looked over at the Sokyoku stand. She saw that everyone had gone somewhere to fight except for Byakuya and Ichigo. They had stayed and had already started their battle. Shiroi looked back at Yamishiryu stood up along with a white underbelly, black bodied, wolf-like creature. It had black wings that looked an awful like bat wings. The creature had to be at least half, or slightly less, the size of Yamishiryu. It had golden eyes that could pierce the hardest of hearts.

"No, it can't be," she whispered, shocked by the creature before her.

"Oh, yes, Shiroi. I'm back," said a voice behind her. Shiroi looked to see the very man she had been dreading of coming here. The black-haired man with golden eyes from before smiled at her.

"It's nice to see you again, Shiroi. I have missed you."

"Kenji Sasaki," she whispered. Kenji Sasaki was the youngest son of the Sasaki family and he was the younger brother of Kaito, Shiroi's dead husband.

"I can't believe that you're not a Hollow anymore."

"How do you know I'm not? For all you know I could be half-Hollow." Shiroi smirked.

"You would do something like that." Shiroi quickly unsheathed her zanpaku-to and ran at Kenji, but he stopped it in time with his own zanpaku-to.

"Do you think you can defeat me, Shiroi," he teased.

"I will defeat you, Kenji. I won't just do that, I'll kill you for what you did to your own brother," Shiroi said. Kenji stopped smiling.

"My brother was an idiot. He had fallen in love with someone completely out of his league."

"Do you mean my status as a Shinigami or a noble," Shiroi asked him as she jumped away from him.

"Both," Kenji said as he placed his zanpaku-to near his side. Shiroi watched him as he disappeared. She immediately turned to her right and brought her zanpaku-to up to block his attack.

"He was stupid to fall in love with you, Shiroi, so I decided to show him what would happen if your father was to learn of you marrying him," he said.

"My father would not have done something like that."

"Hmph, I really doubt that. After all he is…"

"Shut up!" Shiroi pushed Kenji back before she took her blade and jabbed it through his stomach. Kenji coughed out blood. Shiroi had enough and just wanted this battle to end as soon as it could.

"Fine, I won't say anything about Kaito or your father anymore," Kenji coughed. Shiroi pulled her blade out and jumped a few feet away from him. She brought her blade up in front of her, pointing the blade at Kenji.

"Kill all those that defy us, Yamishiryu." The blade of the zanpaku-to turned a bright red color. The dark purple ribbon quickly wrapped itself around Shiroi's right wrist. Shiroi winced slightly at the pain it brought with wrapping itself around her wrist.

"Shikai, Shiroi, really? Are you that desperate to kill me?"

"Yeah, well, I want this to be over and done with," she said. Kenji smiled as he disappeared again. He attacked her from her left, but again she blocked it. Kenji placed more pressure on Shiroi's blade to the point where Shiroi was kneeling on the ground. Kenji quickly flash-stepped to Shiroi's back side and ran his blade down her back. Shiroi screamed at the top of her lungs when the blade made contact with her skin, cutting deep into her back.

Byakuya, who was busy with his own battle, looked over to Shiroi's battle. He looked over just in time to see Shiroi kneeling down on the ground. He could tell she was brutally wounded.

"So, you do care about her still," Ichigo stated. Byakuya looked back at the orange-haired Ryoka as he backed up a few feet from him to keep his distance.

"I don't know what you mean," he said.

"I remember her saying that she was sure that you weren't going to forgive her, but it appears to me that you just might… and that you care about her," Ichigo said.

"Shut up, you little brat. I don't need a Ryoka to be telling me how I feel," Byakuya yelled slightly before he attacked him.

Back to Shiroi's battle, Shiroi slowly stood up. Pain slowly ran up her back, but that didn't stop Shiroi from standing up. She had to finished this here and now.

"You bastard," she spat. Kenji smiled.

"You know, that captain over there that's fighting, he looked over here," Kenji said, "Wasn't his name Kuchiki?" Shiroi looked at Kenji.

"And what of it?"

"My, my, have you made another man fall in love with you, Shiroi?"

"I don't know what you are talking about. He won't fall in love with me and plus… he hasn't gotten over his last wife, Hisana." Kenji smiled even bigger.

"Oh, that's even better. He was once a married man. You are quite the bad girl, Shiroi. Maybe I should go over there and do the same thing I did to my brother to him."

"No!" Shiroi attacked Kenji with several swings. He blocked every single one of them before finally catching her on her left leg. His blade went right through her leg, hitting a bone here and there. Shiroi screamed a little bit as he pulled his sword out of her leg, tearing tissue and muscle all the while. Shiroi landed on her left leg, putting all pressure on her right leg and making it look like she was bowing to him.

"Are you bowing to me, Shiroi," Kenji asked her. He started laughing loudly and threw his head back, but not for long. Shiroi took her zanpaku-to and ran it right through his heart while he wasn't looking. Kenji looked down at Shiroi.

"You bitch," he whispered.

"You deserved it," she said. Kenji's body fell to the ground with a loud thud. He was finally dead. Shiroi pulled her zanpaku-to out of his body. Even though the battle was short, she felt like it had gone on for hours. Shiroi looked over at Yamishiryu.

"Yamishiryu, I need you to get me to the manor. I need to get healed up and quickly at that too," Shiroi said.

_Yes, Shiroi, I can do that,_ Yamishiryu said. Shiroi jumped onto the black dragon's back.

"Alright, let's go then." Shiroi arrived in no time at all at the manor. As she sat in her garden being healed by two of her healers, she could feel the Byakuya's spiritual pressure vanish from Sokyoku Hill and appearing somewhere else. Once her healers were done healing her and had left the garden, she felt her right arm twitch slightly.

"Damn, it has to be now of all times for it to start," she whispered.

"Guards, get Yuri and tell her to bring my medicine," she yelled.

"Yes, Lady Shiroi," she heard seconds later after her order. Shiroi had to wait for about three minutes before Yuri finally showed up with her medicine. She quickly stuck Shiroi in the left arm with the needle. Once Yuri was done, Shiroi got up and decided to see if she could figure out what was happening. When she had been waiting for Yuri, she had felt strange spiritual pressure near the Central Forty-Six building. Out of nowhere, she started to hear the lieutenant of Squad Four talking. She had to be using some kind of Kido in order to be heard without a hell butterfly.

"Captains, lieutenants, seated officers… and also the Ryoka and Lady Shiroi please give me your attention. This is Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu of Squad Four speaking. An emergency situation has occurred. This emergency transmission is under the authority of Captain Unohana of Squad Four about a traitor among us. Please listen carefully," she began, "Everything I am about to say is truth."

Shiroi listened carefully as Isane went on to saying that Aizen had tricked them. That he had pretended to be murdered and had killed all members of Central Forty-Six. Shiroi couldn't believe what she was hearing and now, she could feel Aizen on the Sokyoku Hill. She clenched her teeth and headed over to the Sokyoku Hill. Meanwhile, on Sokyoku Hill, Renji held Rukia tightly to his chest.

"I refuse, Captain Aizen," Renji said.

"Very well then," Aizen said. Gin made a move to unsheathe his zanpaku-to, but Aizen stopped him.

"It's ok, Gin," Aizen said before looking back at Renji," You are very stubborn Renji. It can't be helped that you refused when I told you to give me Rukia Kuchiki. I understand how you feel right now… so it's fine if you want to hold onto Rukia a little longer. She can stay in your arms, but the rest of you goes." Renji tried to move back, but was too late. Aizen was able to cut Renji on his right arm. Blood trickled down Renji's arm and onto the ground.

"Renji," whispered Rukia.

"So you have become strong enough to dodge successfully, Renji. You've grown so much. I'm quite glad. However, I would like it if you weren't so stubborn. Being your former superior, I can't bear to see you die.

"Renji," Rukia whispered again.

"Be quiet, Rukia," Renji told her, "Then tell me, why did you kill Momo?"

"I had no choice. I trained her to not be able to live without me. Don't you think it was charitable of me to kill her," Aizen teased. Renji's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Though I honestly didn't want her to die by my hands. That was why I went to all the trouble of trying to get Izuru and Captain Hitsugaya to fight her. However, that plan didn't go well… thus I had no choice, but to do it myself."

"I see now. So Izuru and Momo were just puppets to you?"

"And you too, Renji."

"I see. I don't know who the monster is before me, but you are not the Captain Aizen I once knew. I don't know why you want Rukia, but I won't hand her over to you, even if it costs me my life."

"I don't know the Captain Aizen you once knew, but that Aizen never existed in the first place."

"Roar, Zabimaru," Renji yelled. His zanpaku-to changed into its Shikai form and headed towards Aizen. Aizen quickly stopped it with his bare hand, making the blade hit the ground.

"Among the three of you, you were the most difficult to handle, Renji," Aizen said just before he took his zanpaku-to and cut Renji's blade in half.

"What," Renji questioned. Blood came out from one of his wounds from his earlier battle, splashing all over the ground. Renji kneeled down onto the ground.

"I was certain from the very first time I met the three of you that I could "use you"." As for you, Renji, I had you moved to another squad since you were the more problematic child. Now, I will ask one more time. Place Rukia Kuchiki down and step away."

"I refuse. I will never let her go." Aizen glared down at Renji.

"I see. How unfortunate." Aizen swung his sword towards Renji, but it was suddenly stopped by a pure black blade.

"Hey. Why are you kneeling down, Renji? Did Rukia get heavier or something? I've come to help, Renji," said a certain orange-haired.

"Ichigo," Renji said.

"Yeah," Ichigo said just before he and Renji jumped back a few feet from Aizen.

"Sorry you had to come and…"

"What's wrong with you? You look beat up considering all you had to do was carry Rukia away from here," Ichigo growled. He looked back at Renji, a little bit upset with the redhead.

"Ah, well you look pretty beaten up yourself, Ichigo. Shouldn't you be wrapped up in bed or something right now," Renji growled back.

"Is that all you have to say to the guy who just saved you?"

"Are you freaken stupid? I was just about to thank you."

"Yuh. Yummmuh," came a small voice. Renji and Ichigo stopped bickering to look down at Rukia. She was let go slightly by Renji, finally letting her breathe.

"You freaken idiot. Do you think I was trying to set a new record for holding my breath? You nearly killed me you fool," Rukia yelled as she punched Renji under his chin.

"Sorry." Ichigo and Renji looked back at Aizen when he had chuckled under his breath.

"So he's Aizen," Ichigo asked.

"Yes," Renji answered.

"Do you still have enough energy to fight?"

"I do, but I'm not running."

"What?!"

"I've got a plan. I'm going to fight, no matter what."

"Fine, then let's hear this plan of yours." Renji placed Rukia down before coming to Ichigo's side, but a little bit to the left of him.

"I can only use this once, but if it hits, it will definitely create an opening. You'll have to move fast though."

"Got it." Renji swung his broken zanpaku-to to the ground.

"Let's go, Zabimaru. Higa Zekkou." The spikes of the zanpaku-to started to fly above Aizen's head, spikes towards him. In the next second, the separated pieces flew towards Aizen. A huge cloud of dust surrounded him, giving Ichigo the opening he needed.

Ichigo started to run at Aizen. He swung his zanpaku-to at Aizen as he got closer to him, but his black blade was stopped by the traitor captain. Before Ichigo could react, he was cut down and he fell to the ground.

"Oh, my. I had meant to cut everything below the waist off, but I guess my swing was too shallow." Then the very next second, Renji was cut down. Rukia watched as her friends fell to the ground and Aizen walked over to her. He grabbed her red collar, pulling her up onto her feet.

"Hah… hah," Ichigo coughed as he tried to get up.

"How pitiful… you're still conscious."

"Hah," Ichigo coughed again.

"Why don't you just lay there quietly until you pass on? You have been very helpful. Your mission is over."

"What mission are you talking about?"

"Ahhh, yes. You see I knew that you would all along appear in the western Rukon district. So I dispatched regular patrols in the vicinity. So that the walls would be lowered immediately after you had arrived," Aizen explained, "Then I had the Third Squad and the Ninth Squad to the wall and sent Gin to keep you out. I knew that if Gin was there, then you would try to enter by Kuukaku Shiba's cannon. So that would result into a very dramatic entrance. And therefore all of the Shinigami would put their focus on you Ryoka. Because of you, it was really easy to make our moves."

"Wait a minute. How did you know that we would come from the west," Ichigo asked, stunned by Aizen's knowledge.

"Because that's where Kisuke Urahara referential location is located there in the west Rukon district."

"What?"

"Why do you look so confused? Are you not his subordinate? Did he not order you to bring Rukia back?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I see… you don't know anything. Then let me explain. You of course know the four basic forms of combat, right? There's Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido. Unfortunately, for a Shinigami, you cannot overcome the limitation of a Shinigami's spiritual pressure. But is there no way to break that boundary? Is there no way to grow and surpass your innate limitation? There's only one way. The Shinigami has to become a Hollow." Ichigo's light brown eyes widened.

"When the boundary between a Hollow and a Shinigami is removed, you can create a new existence capable of achieving new heights. I had focused on Shinigami becoming Hollows and I had successfully created several Hollows that were close to Shinigami, but all of them were trash. No one has been able to have a break through… except Kisuke Urahara."

"He created something that was able to dissolve the boundary between Hollows and Shinigami. He created the Hougyoku. He knew how dangerous his creation was, but he could not find a way to destroy it, and so he created a barrier around it and buried it deep in a person's soul." Aizen looked over at Rukia.

"Do you get it now, Rukia? He placed it inside you," Aizen said.

"What did you say," Ichigo asked.

"By the time I discovered this, you had gone missing in the World of the Living. You know how the Soul Society can locate a Shinigami there by where their gigai is, right? Well, since you were not given one and because you gave Ichigo your powers, Kisuke Urahara decided to give you one. Kisuke was sent to the World of the Living for his research and creation of a gigai that was untraceable. The gigai was also unable to recover the Shinigami's powers, making them slowly lose all of their spiritual pressure." Aizen continued to look at Rukia.

"Do you see, Rukia? He wasn't helping you. He was trying to hide the Hougyoku forever." Rukia's eyes widened as did Ichigo's. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"Fortunately, you were found and so I went to the Central Forty Six chambers and…" Before Aizen could finish, Captain Komamura attacked Aizen from behind.

"Aizen," he yelled as he swung his zanpaku-to at him. A huge dust cloud surrounded them. At first it looked like Aizen might have gone down, but no. Aizen had caught the blade in his hand.

"How… can you still stand, Aizen," the wolf-faced captain asked. He backed up before Aizen could try to strike at him again.

"For your betrayal, I will show no mercy." The Seventh Squad captain looked at Tosen.

"And you, Tosen, do you have anything to say." When Tosen said nothing, he continued on…

"How disappointing, Tosen! Bankai!" Before he could do anything, he then realized that Aizen was now in front of him.

"Hado 90, Kurohitsugi," Aizen said, pointing at Komamura. A huge black box surrounded the captain. It wasn't before long that he was released, but Komamura was all cut up and was bleeding badly.

"Now then," Aizen said, walking back over to Rukia. Gin had her by his side, making sure she didn't escape. Aizen grabbed her red collar from Gin's hand.

"My apologizes. I was in the middle of talking to you, wasn't I? So anyway, when I found you in the World of the Living, I assassinated the entire Central Forty-Six chambers. I had butchered them as soon as we had found you, which I guess Isane probably got wrong. I then used my Kyouka Suigetsu on the underground conference room, making it look like it was still alive. So originally, we all took turns going inside the conference room and so I had the two from Squad Six fetch you, or should I say Lady Shiroi did that."

Ichigo's eyes widened at the mention of Shiroi. He was curious as to what Shiroi had to do with this.

"Well anyway, and then I had your gigai ordered to be immediately destroyed. And of course I had the Sokyoku as your execution grounds. That was when I decided to fake my own death so that I can be in the conference room the whole time. Now, there are two ways to extract two souls from each other. One is the use of the Sokyoku for its intense fire, which failed because of you lot. Then there's a way that Urahara made possible that. And this is the procedure."

Aizen took out a small container out of his haori. Many green, small pillars appeared around Aizen and Rukia. Aizen took his right arm and stabbed it through Rukia's chest. He withdrew his hand from a big, black hole. In his hand was a small light purple globe inside of a small barrier. Rukia fell to the ground, stunned.

"What a surprise. It's so small. So this is the Hougyoku." Ichigo looked at Rukia has she hung her head in shame once she had landed on the ground.

"And see the soul is not harmed," Aizen said as he picked Rukia up with his free hand, "You are no longer of any use to me. Kill her, Gin."

"Alright," Gin said as he unsheathed his zanpaku-to, "Shoot her, Shinso."

"No," yelled Ichigo. A long, white-glowing blade extended towards Rukia and just before it was about to hit her, she was ripped from Aizen's hands. Everyone looked passed Aizen to see several feet away Byakuya holding Rukia in his right arm and Gin's zanpaku-to in another

"No, Brother," Rukia whispered. Byakuya looked at Rukia from the corner of his eye as Gin's blade retracted.

"Brother, why… why did you save me? Brother," Rukia screamed. Rukia held Byakuya close, trying to keep him standing, but it wasn't possible with his injuries.

"You know, the Hougyoku wasn't the only thing I wanted. I also wanted information on the Soul King and his family."

"What are you talking about," breathed Byakuya, "The Soul Society doesn't have information on that."

"Oh, but you that's where you are wrong, Captain Kuchiki. You see, you did have information. He was a person, a subordinate of mine. Unfortunately, it looks like Lady Shiroi killed him over there." Aizen pointed to the part of the hill that Shiroi had used to kill the man from before.

"That's not the point though. The point is that the Soul Princess is here in the Soul Society and she has been here for quite some time actually."

"The Soul Princess is not here. We would have been informed," Byakuya said as his eyes narrowed a bit.

"Really now? Well, why don't I tell you who it is? She is…" Aizen was interrupted by someone appearing between the two Kuchiki noble's and the traitor captain.

"Don't you dare take another step towards them, Aizen," the person spat.

"Why now, it's nice to see you again… Soul Princess," Aizen said smiling. Byakuya looked up to see long, blonde hair in a ponytail and a white haori with the number 01 on the back.

* * *

_Yamishiryu- dark, death dragon_

Please Review


	12. Secrets Told

Ok, guys, here is the second chapter for the day. Now, if you all do not mind, I'm going to go an take a nap. I'm dead tired from working on these two chapters. I'll try to update sometime soon guys. Enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach nor do I make any profit from it

* * *

"Shiroi, no," Byakuya whispered. Shiroi continued to stare at Aizen for a little longer before turning to Byakuya and Rukia. Her face had a serious expression on it. She didn't look a little bit like herself anymore. She looked more like the princess she was said to be. Shiroi raised her hand to the two Kuchiki nobles.

"Kurodaja," she said. The black serpent with bright red eyes appeared around Byakuya and Rukia, keeping a slight distance away. It surrounded them from all sides before facing Shiroi.

"So, you are going to try to protect them," Aizen said. Shiroi turned to him.

"Even if you killed me, Kurodaja will stay and protect them. That's what he does. It's his job," Shiroi answered him, "So tell me, who gave you the information about my family and I?"

"Kenji Sasaki." Shiroi's black eyes narrowed at the name.

"So, you were his master?"

"Yes. I wanted him to tell me all about you and your family. Your father, mother, and your brother… and of course you, Lady Shiroi. I wanted all the information on the Royal family because I want you all dead and I want to be God." Shiroi didn't flinch a bit about what he said, instead she sighed.

"Well, then I guess I'll just have to kill you first before that happens," she said. She unsheathed her zanpaku-to and rushed at Aizen. She was blocked by Tosen, but she quickly back-flipped over his head. She made her way over to Aizen and attacked him, but all her blade hit was dust. Her eyes widened, horrified that she had been tricked.

"No," she whispered. Before she knew it, she was cut on the back again. She looked over her right shoulder to see Aizen there. She fell to her knees and she looked to the ground, breathing heavily.

"Shiroi," Byakuya whispered without thinking. Aizen cut at her back again before forcing his blade through her stomach. Shiroi screamed loudly as Aizen pulled his zanpaku-to out from her stomach. Shiroi fell on her left side. Blood came out from her fresh wounds and from her old ones, finally staining the dirt ground a dark blood. She was losing blood fast and needed to get treatment soon.

"Come now, Lady Shiroi, and show the true side of your zanpaku-to," Aizen said.

"How… do you know… about that," Shiroi breathed.

"Oh, I know a fair amount about your zanpaku-to thanks to Kenji." Shiroi tried to sit up, but she failed and fell back down onto the ground. Aizen walked over to her side once again, his blade pointing down at her.

"Let her be," yelled Byakuya. His slate gray eyes widened when he realized what he had just said. Aizen continued to look down Shiroi.

"My, my, have you made another man fall for someone like you again, Lady Shiroi," he whispered so that only she could hear him. Shiroi's eyes began to tear up.

"Damn you, Aizen," she cursed, making Aizen smirk at her.

"Well, now that's one down. Two to go," Aizen said as he placed his zanpaku-to back into its sheath. He turned, and walked towards Byakuya and Rukia again. Before he could get far though, he was stopped suddenly by Yoruichi and Soi Fon. Soi Fon had her blade pressed against Aizen's neck and Yoruichi had her hand over his zanpaku-to handle.

"Don't move, Aizen," Yoruichi said.

"Or we'll cut you down," Soi Fon finished.

"Now that's another face I haven't seen in a long time, Yoruichi Shihoin," Aizen said. Gin was quickly captured by the lieutenant of Squad Ten, Rangiku Matsumoto. Tosen was also captured, but by his own lieutenant, Shuuhei Hisagi.

"This is the end for all of you," Yoruichi said, "You are all surrounded." All the lieutenants and captains of each squad appeared around the three traitors. Shunsui walked over to Shiroi and placed his kimono over her. She tried to shrug it off of her, not wanting it to get bloody, but Shunsui stopped her.

"Shiroi, don't," he said. Shiroi looked up at him, then back at the ground. Tears ran down her slightly blood-stained cheeks.

"It's over," Yoruichi said. Aizen just smiled.

"What's so funny, Aizen?"

"Yeah, sorry, but it's time." Yoruichi's eyes widened.

"Get away, Soi Fon!" Both Yoruichi and Soi Fon backed away from Aizen just as a yellow light enveloped him. Everyone looked up as a giant garganta appeared in the sky. They could see Menos Grande within the garganta.

"Menos Grande, but how," Shiroi coughed out. Gin and Tosen were immediately enveloped in a yellow light as well. They all were then picked up by some kind of force within the yellow light, taking some of the ground with them.

"Trying to run…," yelled out the lieutenant of Squad Seven, Tetsuzaemon Iba, but he was stopped by the Head Captain.

"That beam of light is called "Negation". The Menos use it to rescue their comrades. Once the light is cast, it creates a dimension of its own that cannot be penetrated from the outside. From the moment that light came down… Aizen is out of our reach," the Head Captain explained.

"Tosen," screamed Komamura as he got up from the ground, "Get back here, Tosen, and explain to me why you became a Shinigami! Where is your justice now, Tosen?"

"I told you before, Komamura, the only path I will follow is the one stained with less blood. That path is the path to justice."

"To sink all the way to the level of allaying with the Menos," said Jushiro as he stared at Aizen, "What are you trying to do?"

"To go higher," answered Aizen.

"Have you fallen in the process, Aizen?"

"Are you too arrogant, Ukitake? No one starts on top of the world. Not you. Not me. Not even Gods. But the unbearable vacancy of the throne in the sky is over. From now on… I'll be sitting on it."

"Are you telling me that you are going to kill the Royal family and take over as a God," Shiroi yelled. Aizen smiled.

"My, my, I should give you more credit, Lady Shiroi," he said, "Good bye, Shinigami. And good bye, Ryoka boy. For a human, you are really interesting." And with that, the garganta closed up with Aizen, Gin, and Tosen in Hueco Mundo, and traitors of the Soul Society.

Later that afternoon, the Squad Four relief groups began treating Byakuya, Renji, Komamura, and Shiroi. Ichigo was taken care of by a teenaged girl that went by the name of Orihime. Shiroi closed her eyes as she was healed by one of the Squad Four healers. Shunsui and Jushiro stayed near her "operating table". They didn't want to leave her side, not yet anyway.

"How is she," Jushiro asked one of the healers.

"It appears that her wounds from her earlier battle must have opened up when Aizen slashed at her back. He then took his blade and ran it through her stomach, breaking a few ribs in the process," the healer responded, "Most likely the captain will have her stay in the Squad Four barracks for a week… maybe more if there's more damage than predicted."

"Alright, thank you," Jushiro said.

"Can we talk to her," Shunsui asked. Jushiro looked over at his friend. He could tell that Shunsui was concerned about Shiroi's condition.

"Yes, you may. She is stable enough now," the healer answered as he stood up from Shiroi's side. He had finished healing her just enough to keep her stable till they moved her to the barracks.

"Thank you," Shunsui said as he walked over to Shiroi's side and sat down. Jushiro came to stand behind his friend, placing his right hand on his shoulder.

"She'll be fine, Shunsui. She was your subordinate after all," Jushiro whispered for only Shunsui to hear. Shunsui nodded. A few minutes later, Shiroi woke up from her "operation", slightly dizzy, but nothing too bad.

"Shiroi, how are you feeling," Shunsui asked her.

"A little bit dizzy, but overall ok," she answered him.

"Do you feel any pain," Jushiro asked as well.

"A fair amount," Shiroi answered.

"Lady Shiroi," said a small voice from behind the two captains. The three of them all looked to see Rukia standing there. Shiroi looked at her. She wasn't harmed in anyway at all. Shiroi smiled.

"Good, I'm glad that you aren't hurt," she said, "Did you need something, Rukia?"

"Yes, my brother… he wants to know if you are ok," she said nervously. Shiroi was taken back a bit from her sentence. Shiroi huffed a little bit under her breath.

"I'm fine. He doesn't need to worry about me," Shiroi said as she turned her head away from her. Rukia nodded and left to go back to Byakuya's side. Shiroi slowly sat up in her futon.

"Shiroi, you shouldn't get up," Shunsui said, placing his left hand on her right shoulder.

"I'm fine. I can get up."

"Lady Shiroi, please lay back down. I don't want you to reopen your wounds," said a very friendly voice. It was Unohana. Behind her were four of her subordinates.

"Captain Unohana," Shiroi said. The captain smiled.

"Could you please lay back down for me?"

"Uhhh… sure." Shiroi laid back down as each of the four subordinates stood by one of the corners of her futon.

"Are you moving her, Unohana," asked Jushiro.

"Yes. Captain Kuchiki wants to talk to her," Unohana answered.

"Well, let's go. We shouldn't keep him waiting," Shunsui said as he stood up, but Unohana raised a hand, stopping him in place.

"He wants to talk to just Lady Shiroi. You two should probably go back to your squads and make sure they are alright." Shunsui sighed.

"Alright. Come on, Jushiro. No sense in arguing with Unohana." The white-haired captain nodded before flash-stepping away from the Sokyoku Hill with his friend. After they had left, Unohana's subordinate's had moved Shiroi's futon over to Byakuya's. Unohana finally let Shiroi sit up if she chose to do so, which she did.

Shiroi had her arms behind her, keeping her up in a sitting position. Unohana had walked over to Renji's futon, checking to make sure that he was alright and ready to move to the barracks. Shiroi felt someone grab her right hand out of nowhere. She turned to see it was Byakuya who had done it.

"Byakuya, you don't need to hold…," she said, but she was interrupted when Byakuya shook his head. Shiroi stopped and didn't complain about it again.

"Shiroi, can you tell me… who this Kenji Sasaki is," he asked her.

"Kenji Sasaki… He was Kaito's younger brother," Shiroi said, "And he was the one who killed Kaito that night." Byakuya's eyes widened a bit, in surprise. Of all things to least expect it was definitely that last part of Shiroi's sentence. The small, blonde girl tried to let go of his hand, but that only made him hold it even tighter now.

"Shiroi, why didn't you tell anyone before now about this," Byakuya asked her.

"I did. I told my family, Shunsui, Jushiro, and Maya, my best friend. My father then told me not to tell anyone else… not even you. He didn't want anyone else to know the truth of the Sasaki family downfall." Byakuya then remembered that the Sasaki family had been brutally murdered out of nowhere a few weeks after Kaito's death, but he didn't know that this was exactly what had occurred that day.

"What happened?"

"My father had them all executed. They were a corrupt family… except for Kaito. He was true to his word, and kind, gentle, caring… But once he was dead, his family slowly became even more corrupt. So, my father had his family executed, but Kenji somehow escaped. I thought he had died, but somehow he became a half-Hollow through Aizen's experiments, I think." Byakuya could see tears running down Shiroi's cheeks.

"Shiroi," Byakuya began, but was interrupted when Unohana came back. He let go of her hand and brought his hand back to his side.

"Lady Shiroi, Captain Kuchiki, we think we can move you to some rooms in the Squad Four barracks now. Are you two done talking," Unohana said.

"Yes," Shiroi answered quickly. Byakuya nodded.

"Alright, then let's get you two back," Unohana said. Shiroi and Byakuya's futons were both carried by four subordinates each back to the barracks. Rukia walked alongside her brother's futon as they walked. He reached out to her and placed his hand on her arm.

Shiroi and Byakuya were both placed in rooms that were right next to each other. Shiroi was immediately placed in her bed. Byakuya on the other hand was placed in a separate room just for a few minutes to make sure he was alright. During that time, Rukia came to see Shiroi in her own room.

"Lady Shiroi, my brother told me that Hisana Kuchiki, his past wife, was my sister. Did you know this," Rukia asked her.

"No, but I did have my hunches," Shiroi answered.

"Did he ever tell you about him making two promises? One to my sister and one to his parents."

"Yes, he did tell me something like that." Rukia went silent for awhile.

"Is that all you wanted, Rukia," Shiroi asked.

"Yes, it was, Lady Shiroi," she said. Shiroi smiled to herself.

"You can call me just Shiroi." Rukia looked at Shiroi, surprised by her order.

"Are you sure? I mean you're the Soul Princess. You should get as much respect as you can."

"It's fine, Rukia, really. If I say it's ok, then you should respect my wish, correct," Shiroi questioned.

"Well, yes, but…" Shiroi looked at Rukia, one eyebrow raised.

"Never mind." Shiroi smiled.

"You know, your sister was a very kind girl when I knew her." Rukia's dark purple eyes widened.

"You knew my sister."

"For a little while. She was a very kind and caring girl. When my late husband, Kaito Sasaki, died a few years before Hisana herself died, she was one of the few who were allowed to come and see me in my condition. I was a wreck and she helped me through it. Your brother was lucky to have her as a wife for even just a little while."

Shiroi looked out the window now, slightly guilty for talking about Hisana. It wasn't really her business to be talking about her, but she had to say something.

"Shiroi," Rukia said softly.

"Yes?" Shiroi didn't look away from the window.

"Did my sister ever mention me in front of you?"

"No, she didn't. When I first heard about your adoption into the Kuchiki Clan, I was surprised. I knew Byakuya ever since we were teenagers, and that was the last thing I would have ever thought he would do." Shiroi smiled before laughing a little under her breath. Rukia looked at the young princess, completely puzzled as to what was going on.

"What are you laughing at, Shiroi," she finally asked.

"I'm laughing at your brother's personality when we were young."

"What do you mean?" Shiroi looked over at Rukia once she had stopped laughing.

"Were you ever told that your brother had quite the temper when he was young?" Rukia shook her head.

"No, I never knew that."

"Hmph, I wonder why he would keep that to himself." Shiroi sighed softly before shrugging her shoulders. Someone knocked on the door of Shiroi's room, forcefully interrupting the girl's conversation.

"You may enter," Shiroi said. She watched as the door to her room was swung open harshly. A tall man with short, messy blonde hair and dark black eyes came walking into the room. He was dressed in a black shihakusho with a gold-outlining, white haori. There was no number on the back, but there was a Japanese symbol on the back. The symbol meant… king. Shiroi's eyes widened as she watched her father walk closer to her bed.

"Father," she whispered as she sat up more in bed. Yes, this man walking towards her was Daichi Tsaki, her father and the Soul King. Right behind him was Kuya, who was dressed in his captain's uniform as well. Daichi kneeled beside the bed and took Shiroi's left hand in both of his.

"Shiroi, I'm so glad that you are alright," he said, "I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner to rescue you, but none of my guards would let me through. They didn't want me to be attacked by Aizen right then and there."

"Father, that is understandable. I'm just the princess, but you are the King. Kuya is your heir. The both of you are more important than myself." Daichi sighed.

"Shiroi, you are just as important as the two of us. You are the Soul Princess and my second child." Daichi reached up and brought his right hand to Shiroi's left cheek.

"My fragile child," he whispered. Shiroi leaned into his touch, happy to feel it after such a long time of being away from home. Two of Daichi's guards came running into the room.

"Your Majesty, you shouldn't be running off by yourself," one of them said. Daichi looked over at them.

"Yeah, I know, but I wanted to see my daughter as soon as I could," he stated. The two guards looked up and at Shiroi. Shiroi laughed at the look on their faces.

"I guess this is your first time seeing your princess in a very fragile state," Shiroi said.

"Yes, Lady Shiroi," the both said as they kneeled down. Shiroi smiled before looking back at Rukia.

"Rukia, why don't you go back to your brother? I need some alone time with my family," Shiroi said to the small girl. Rukia nodded before leaving the room. Shiroi's smile slowly went away. Daichi noticed it completely.

"Shiroi, were you just putting on an act for that girl," her father asked.

"Just a bit. I don't need people who are close to him to know that I am truly in pain." Daichi sighed.

"By him, you mean Kuchiki, don't you?" Shiroi nodded slightly, remembering everything that her grandfather had told her about what had happened long ago. Before Shiroi's mother had ever met Daichi, she had been in love with Sojun Kuchiki, Byakuya's father. Soon after the two of them had started dating, Sojun's father had found out and quickly found Sojun a wife. He wasn't going to let Sojun marry off to Ayame Akuma, Shiroi's mother.

No one was exactly sure why that was since the two families had gotten along so well during that time. Sojun, of course loved his new wife dearly, but he still loved Ayame. It was something that was never going to change. Shiroi could remember her grandfather telling her something that her mother used to say a lot when her daughter was very young. She had always said that maybe she and Sojun weren't the right people of their two families to marry, but maybe Shiroi and Byakuya were.

"Yes, I do mean Byakuya, Father," Shiroi said.

"You need to get over him, Shiroi. Whatever you had towards him years ago should be over. He had a wife over fifty years ago and he lost her through sickness, of which he could not help her. He couldn't possibly be able to get over that. Look at you, you haven't gotten over Kaito," Daichi said as he stood up, letting Shiroi's hands go at the same time. Shiroi looked down at her lap. She could feel tears already coming up.

"Get out," Shiroi said.

"What did you say to me, young lady?"

"I said get out."

"You will not tell me to get out."

"I believe the young lady said to leave, Your Majesty," said a calm voice at the door. Shiroi and her father both looked over at the door to see a very calm Shunsui standing there with his hands in his kimono sleeves.

"Shunsui," Shiroi whispered. Daichi looked at Shunsui, then Shiroi. When his daughter looked away from him, he sighed.

"Alright, I'll leave, but, Shiroi, this conversation is not over," Daichi said before he left, Kuya and his guards right behind them. Shiroi looked out the window as Shunsui walked over to her bed side.

"Do you want to tell me what he said to you just a little bit ago," Shunsui asked. Shiroi shook her head as the first few tears started to run down her face.

"He doesn't understand," Shiroi said. Shunsui placed a hand on Shiroi's left shoulder.

"He'll understand, Shiroi. He's your father after all."

"For most of my life, he was in the Royal Dimension, doing his job as King, while I was stuck here in the Soul Society, learning to be the head of the Akuma Clan without him by my side the whole way."

"Shiroi…"

"He doesn't understand that I had to deal with Kaito's death by myself. Sure, Maya, Hisana, and Kuya came to see me, but even that was very rare. My grandfather tried to help, but it only helped for a little bit." Shiroi wiped away a few tears with her right hand.

"It'll be ok, Shiroi," Shunsui said, trying to calm the girl down. Shiroi shook her head.

"No, he will forever never understand what I had to go through by myself."

* * *

_Kurodaja- black serpent_

Please Review


	13. Healing Once Again

Ok, so the holidays are coming up and I need to catch up on chapters. I promise you guys that I will try and update as soon as I can. So, enjoy the chapter guys!(:

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach nor do I make any profit from it

* * *

It had to be almost a week since that little conversation between Shiroi and her father, Daichi. Shiroi was almost fully recovered, but not quite. She was still in a lot of pain every now and then. The pain was mostly located in her back, which was understandable since that was where she was hit the most. Shiroi was relaxing in her bedroom private garden. Yamishiryu was nearby, watching over her mistress.

_Shiroi, are you feeling any better_, the dragon asked her.

"A little bit. I can still feel a lot of pain though. I should be glad that my disorder stopped a few days ago," Shiroi answered.

"Lady Shiroi," called one of her guards from behind her

"What is it," Shiroi asked without looking at him.

"Head Captain Yamamoto wants to see you," he continued.

"About what?"

"He didn't say." Shiroi sighed.

"When does he want to see me?"

"Now." Shiroi hesitated with her next sentence. She knew that the Head Captain wanted to talk to her to explain about everything.

"Alright, I'm going." Shiroi stood up from where she was just as the guard walked out of her room. She dressed herself in her usual black shihakusho that was just barely passed her knees, shorten sleeves, and had an open back. She grabbed her dark purple cloak and hood, and placed it over her shoulders. She pulled on her dark purple gloves before placing her zanpaku-to around her waist and under a dark purple sash.

_Shiroi_, Yamishiryu began.

"Yamishiryu, I need to go. It's about time that I tell them the truth," Shiroi said.

_Alright_. Shiroi brushed her dark blonde hair quickly before turning to her bedroom door.

"Wish me luck, Yamishiryu."

_I will be by your side if you need me, Shiroi._

And with that the black dragon disappeared into thin air and Shiroi quickly made her way over to the Squad One barracks. She was the last one to arrive at the meeting hall. As she walked up to take her place by the Head Captain's side, she was watched by most of the captains there. She didn't like that everyone was watching her as she took her place. Shiroi looked over at the Head Captain once she had turned to the captains. She looked to the other side of the Head Captain to see Ichigo was there. Shiroi was quite curious as to why he was there, but didn't bother to ask.

"Head Captain, may I ask you why you had me called here," Shiroi asked.

"We have all discussed this and we would like you to tell us who your family really is," the old man said.

"Do you mean the Akuma side of me or the Tsaki side?"

"Tsaki side." Shiroi sighed before she crossed her arms. She started to walk forward so that she was walking behind the one line of captains.

"I don't really know where to begin, but this… First of all, my father… he actually wasn't supposed to become king. He had an older brother. He was the true heir to my grandfather's throne," Shiroi began.

"Then how did your father become king," asked Toshiro. Shiroi stopped walking and every captain turned to her.

"My grandfather and my uncle both somehow came down with some sort of disease at the exact some time and died from it. My uncle was first, then my grandfather weeks later. No one is really sure how this happened, but many think that someone had done this intentionally. I don't think that was what happened. Anyway, since my uncle had no children, my father was the only one that could take over," Shiroi explained.

"When exactly did your father take the throne," asked Soi Fon.

"Several months after my mother's death or as you all know it… the disappearance of Daichi Tsaki." Everyone went silent. They hadn't expected that that was when Shiroi's father had taken the throne. So basically, Shiroi Akuma was without a father for most of her childhood. This was one of the many conclusions the captains came up with in their thoughts.

"My father had wanted to stay here to help me become the Akuma head that I am today, but his advisors would not have it. And so, my father went to the Royal Dimension with my brother Kuya," Shiroi continued.

"Is there anything else that you would like to tell us about your family," the Head Captain asked. Shiroi hesitated. Was there really anything else that she would like to tell them?

"No," she answered, "There is nothing else." The Head Captain sighed slightly.

"Wait, I need to ask Shiroi something," said Ichigo.

"Alright, what is, Ichigo," Shiroi asked.

"Aizen… he said that you needed to show the true side of your zanpaku-to. What did he mean," Ichigo asked. Shiroi sighed.

"Damn it, I was hoping you wouldn't ask that."

"Why not? Is there something that you are keeping from us, Lady Shiroi," the Head Captain spoke up. Shiroi looked down at the floor.

"There is a form of my zanpaku-to that no one, but a few know about. It is a more dangerous side of my zanpaku-to and right now I am trying to get control over it." It went silent for a little while.

"Alright, if there is nothing else, then you may go," the Head Captain said. Shiroi nodded and left the meeting hall without another word. She went to the main garden in the Akuma manor and just looked around at the white roses there. She could remember that her mother used to do that so much when she was a kid. Shiroi would be behind a wooden pillar and watched her mother look around at the white roses. Shiroi smiled softly. Her mother, much like herself, loved the white flowers.

"Shiroi," said a deep voice behind her. The blonde woman looked to her left to see her grandfather standing there.

"Grandfather, what is it," she asked him. Kuro held up a letter in his hand.

"This came for you and me. It's from your father. He wants you home," Kuro said. Shiroi looked back at the white flowers.

"Tell him I can't come home right now. I have business here that I need to take care of," Shiroi said.

"What business? You have nothing to do here! You need to go back to the Royal Dimension where you will be safe from harm's way," Kuro yelled. Shiroi looked down at the flowers. Kuro looked at her closer. Her dark black-colored eyes looked like they were looking at something a far.

"Shiroi, what's wrong," he asked her.

"I… I don't know. I don't know what's going on anymore," Shiroi said. Tears appeared in her eyes. Kuro walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"What's bothering you," Kuro asked his granddaughter.

"It's Father. He… he told me to…," Shiroi began, but then stopped.

"He told you to forget about Lord Kuchiki, didn't he?"

"How did you know," Shiroi asked after a couple seconds of silence.

"Daichi write it in the letter. He wanted me to try to convince you to forget about him, but I told your father no. I wasn't going to let my granddaughter become upset because her own father is jealous of the Kuchiki Clan."

"Jealous?"

"Your father was always jealous of Sojun being your mother's first… I guess you could say love, but he did always understand that even though your mother loved him, Sojun would always have a special place in her heart."

"Grandfather…"

"What is it, Shiroi?"

"Must I go back to the Royal Dimension now? I mean… can't it wait?" Kuro smiled.

"I don't see why not. I'll tell them that you are simply not ready to travel to the Royal Dimension. Your father will understand that."

"I hope you are right."

"I know what you mean. I feel the exact same way," Kuro said. He kissed the top of Shiroi's head.

"I need to go do some more work in the record books. I want you to get plenty of rest, Shiroi."

"I will. Thank you, Grandfather." Kuro nodded before leaving Shiroi's side. Shiroi crossed her arms. She was confused about everything. She wasn't sure what she was doing anymore. Was her father right? Had she really not gotten over her feelings? No, there was no way in hell that she was. Shiroi smiled to herself.

"Lady Shiroi," said a guard behind her.

"Yes, what is it," she asked him.

"Lord Kuchiki would like to talk to you. He says that it cannot wait," he said. Shiroi hesitated. What on earth could he want to talk about?

"Lady Shiroi," the guard questioned.

"I will talk to him. Take him to the living room that my parents and I used to use after dinner," she said, "I will be there as soon as I can."

"Yes, Lady Shiroi," the guard said before leaving to do as he ordered.

_Lady Shiroi, I can feel something different in his spiritual pressure, Shiroi_, Yamishiryu said.

'What do you mean, Yamishiryu,' Shiroi thought to her zanpaku-to.

_I don't know. It just seems a little bit different_. Shiroi smiled.

'Very helpful, Yamishiryu.'

_Sorry, Shiroi, but I don't know how to describe it._

'It's ok, Yamishiryu. I will discover it myself.' Shiroi turned around and headed to the living room. Two Akuma manor guards were standing at the living room door. Shiroi came to stand in front of them.

"You both may go back onto patrol," she said.

"But, Lady Shiroi," the both said at the same time.

"It's ok. You may go," Shiroi repeated. The two guards bowed to her.

"Alright, Lady Shiroi, if you say so," they both said before they left. Shiroi smiled softly before she opened the door to the living room. Byakuya was already sitting down in one of the chairs. He looked over at her as she entered the room and stood up from the chair.

"May I ask you, Lord Byakuya, why you are here," Shiroi asked him.

"I was curious if you would like to have dinner with me tonight around seven. I know it is very last minute, but I do hope you can make it," Byakuya said. Shiroi thought about the invitation that Byakuya had given her. Dinner? With Byakuya? And most likely alone?

"I will come if I can. It really depends on if I can get any work done before hand, but I will certainly try," she answered. Byakuya nodded before walking over to her. He took her right hand in his and brought it up to his lips. Once he had kissed the top of her hand, he let it go and left Shiroi's side.

"I hope to see you there," he said as he left the room. Shiroi brought her right hand up to her face and felt her cheeks. They felt hot to her touch.

'Damn, I'm blushing,' she thought to herself.

_Shiroi, that only means that you do feel something for Byakuya_, Yamishiryu said.

'You are not any help, Yamishiryu, again.' Shiroi thought she heard Yamishiryu laugh.

_Someone's getting even more embarrassed, aren't they?_

'Yamishiryu, stop.'

_Yes, Shiroi._

Shiroi could hear Yamishiryu laughing a little harder. Shiroi turned to the door and left to go to the record book room. She was able to find her grandfather in the back of the room with a few books in his hands. It looked like he was just reading something over.

"Grandfather," she said, quickly grabbing the old man's attention.

"What is it, Shiroi," he asked her.

"Lord Byakuya was here just a few minutes ago." Kuro smiled as he placed the books back on the shelves before him.

"I thought I had felt his spiritual pressure. What did he want?"

"He asked me if I wanted to have dinner with him tonight." Kuro's dark brown eyes widened, but not in shock. It was more in… happiness.

"Good, I'm glad that he asked you something like that. It only means that the relationship between the Kuchiki Clan and Akuma Clan is healing." Shiroi smiled.

"Is that the only thing you care about right now?"

"No, but it is one of the main reasons." Shiroi rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, may I go, Grandfather?"

"Of course, Shiroi, I will make sure that your father does not find out about this," he said.

"Thank you, Grandfather." Shiroi walked over to Kuro and quickly gave him a hug.

"I think I will take a shower before I get myself dressed for this dinner." Kuro nodded.

"Alright. Will you need an escort there?"

"I should be fine with two guards."

"Ok, Shiroi. I will see you later." Shiroi left the room and headed to the shower. She was done in only a few minutes. She changed into a light purple yukata, letting her hair dry. She had about an hour before she had to go to the party.

'Yamishiryu, do you think people will continue to look up to the Akuma Clan, even though we lied about who the Tsaki Clan really was,' Shiroi asked.

_Why the sudden question, Shiroi_, Yamishiryu asked, _This is so unlike you._

'I know, but I just feel like people may look down on the Akuma Clan for lying to everyone.'

_No one would do that. They will all understand in due time about why your family did that._

'I hope you're right.'

"Lady Shiroi, it is time for you to get ready," Yuri said, bringing the young girl out of her thoughts.

"Yes, I guess you are right," Shiroi finally said after a few seconds of silence. Shiroi stood up from where she was sitting and followed Yuri to her room.

"I received information from Lord Akuma that you are having dinner with Lord Kuchiki tonight and so I found the nicest kimono that you had for you to wear tonight," Yuri said as she walked over to Shiroi's closet. She pulled out a beautiful dark purple kimono. It had a design of golden butterflies on it. It had a white sash that would go around Shiroi's waist. Shiroi smiled and nodded.

"I love it," she said. Yuri smiled softly.

"You should, Lady Shiroi. Your mother had made it for you when you were young. She had figured that you would be about her height and possibly weight. She was certainly correct." Shiroi stepped closer to the kimono and ran her right hand over it gently.

"My mother… made this?"

"Yes." Shiroi was completely stunned that her own mother had made this. Yuri helped Shiroi into her new kimono in just a matter of minutes. The next thing they did was place Shiroi's hair into a bun, but a single strand of hair was kept out. It dangled out of the bun, running down the side her neck.

"Lady Shiroi, you look beautiful," Yuri commented as Shiroi looked at herself in the mirror.

"Thank you, Yuri," Shiroi said, "Could you do me a favor? I need you to go get my two best guards. I want them to at least escort me to the Kuchiki manor." Yuri nodded before leaving the room to get the guards. In no time at all, Yuri came back with the two guards.

"Is there anything else you would like before you leave, Lady Shiroi," Yuri asked her mistress.

"No, you may leave," Shiroi said, "And I will head to the Kuchiki manor." Yuri nodded and waited for Shiroi and her guards to leave the room before she left herself. Shiroi and her guards walked to the Kuchiki manor.

Once they were in sight of the Kuchiki manor, Shiroi told her guards that once they arrived at the gates they were to leave and immediately go back to the Akuma manor. And they did just that. The Kuchiki gate guards called for a servant to lead her to the back garden in the Kuchiki manor. The servant came and they led her to the back garden. There she saw a table for two set up underneath a cherry blossom.

'Yamishiryu, are you getting a feeling that maybe… just maybe, he's going to try to tell me something,' Shiroi thought to her zanpaku-to.

_It does seem like that_, Yamishiryu told her mistress.

'Jeez, you are just a bundle of help today.' Shiroi could feel Yamishiryu smiling at her.

_I'm sorry, Shiroi. Am I making things worse?_

'To a degree.'

The servant led her over to the table and bowed to her before leaving. Shiroi looked at the garden. It was absolutely beautiful. She looked over at a small red bridge that went over a small pond. She walked to the edge of the pond and saw some koi fish swimming around, enjoying themselves in the water.

'He would keep the koi fish pond here. Hisana always did like this little pond,' Shiroi thought.

"Lady Shiroi," a voice said to the right of Shiroi. She looked up from the pond and in the direction of the voice. It was Byakuya who had called her.

"Lord Byakuya," Shiroi said, "I have to thank you for inviting me here, but may I ask you why you invited me."

"I invited you here because there is something that I need to tell you."

"What is it you need to tell me?"

"It was something that Hisana asked me to do."

"And what was that?"

"She wanted me to ask you something the very next time I see you." Byakuya walked over to her side. He took her right hand in his left.

"She asked me when I saw you that I should try and court you," Byakuya said. Shiroi's black colored eyes widened.

"Court me? She asked you to do that? But why," Shiroi asked him.

"I don't know myself, but I think it had something to do with the possibility of having feelings for you," Byakuya said. Shiroi looked at him. His slate gray eyes watched her black-colored ones. Shiroi looked away and turned to the pond once again. She slipped her hand out of his.

"Shiroi," Byakuya whispered, surprised.

"I'm sorry, Lord Byakuya, but I need time to think," Shiroi said politely, "if you'll excuse me." Shiroi ran from the garden, not looking back.

_Shiroi, what are you doing_, Yamishiryu asked her, surprised that she was running away.

'I… I don't know,' Shiroi thought back to her zanpaku-to, 'I just don't know what I am doing anymore.'

Shiroi slowed down once she was just a little bit away from the Akuma manor. She walked back to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. Tears were just starting to come up.

'What did I just do,' Shiroi thought to herself.

_I don't even know what you did, Shiroi, and I was there_, Yamishiryu said.

'What I would like to know is… why did he ask me that,' Shiroi thought.

_Well, maybe he's just…_

'I don't want to hear it, Yamishiryu, I already guessed that.' Shiroi started to walk around in mini circles before she stopped and fell onto her bed, on purpose of course.

'What would Kaito think of me if I said yes to Byakuya's courtship idea?'

_Shiroi, I believe that Kaito would be happy if you moved on and accepted Lord Byakuya's courtship. You can still hang onto him, but it is time for you to marry again._

'Yamishiryu, can I tell you something?'

_Sure, what is it?_

'You are one of the best zanpaku-to ever, you know that.'

_Well, I always had that hunch, but yeah, I did know that._

Shiroi smiled.

'Thank you.'

_It was no problem, Shiroi._

With that, Shiroi went to sleep for the night. This time, in a long time, she was able to sleep without waking up in the middle of the night or waking up sleepy as heck.

* * *

_Yamishiryu- dark, death dragon_

Please Review


	14. Home

Ok, this is a short chapter, but I tried my best to make it as long as possible. It was a little hard to get it down along with my other stories I'm working on with midterms being this week. I'm sorry that this took a long time to update. Enjoy guys!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach nor do I make any profit from it

* * *

Shiroi walked down the hallway to the dining room, where she knew her grandfather was waiting for her to arrive for breakfast. She opened the door and before she could even react, she saw her father and brother sitting at the table. Her black eyes widened, shock written all over her face.

"Oh no," she whispered to herself. Daichi stood up from his sit and walked over to his daughter. He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at Shiroi.

"Shiroi, I understand that you may not be healed all the way to go back home, but I want you come back anyway," he said, "I want to make sure that you are safe." Shiroi sighed.

"Father, I can't go back right now," she answered.

"And why not?" Shiroi flinched a little bit. She could sense the anger in his voice. He was not happy with her at all.

"Well… umm… it's kind of hard to explain."

"Then you don't have a reason at all." Daichi turned and went back to his seat. Shiroi walked over to sit by her grandfather. Kuro looked over at his granddaughter. He could see that she was shaking a little bit. Kuro shook his head, disappointment on his face.

"Daichi, I understand that you are worried about Shiroi, but I think she really needs to stay here until she is fully healed," Kuro stated.

"You don't seem to understand, Kuro, but that Kuchiki noble is here," Daichi spat. Shiroi flinched again. He was making it seem like Byakuya was the problem.

"Father, may I ask why you hate the Kuchikis all of a sudden," Shiroi asked, "You never had a problem with them beforehand."

"That was before I found out that you may feel something for that man!"

"He has a name, Father!"

"I don't care!" Shiroi stood up and walked to the door, almost slamming it open when she finally did get to it.

"Where are you going, young lady," Daichi asked as he stood up.

"To some place where I can think things over," she answered. Shiroi walked all the way to the room with Kaito and her mother's pictures, not stopping to say good morning to any servants. She closed the door, locking it behind her. She could feel some tears running down her cheeks.

'Why is he doing this all of a sudden,' Shiroi thought to herself, 'He has never distasted the Kuchiki clan. Why now?'

_Shiroi_, Yamishiryu said, _Everything will be ok._

'No it won't. My father is furious with me and I don't even know why. He won't tell me why he distastes the Kuchikis now. He never had a problem with them before.'

"Kuro, you cannot kick me out of my own wife's manor," her father yelled outside of the doors. Shiroi turned and unlocked the door in order to see what was going on. It was slight madness outside of the little room. She saw her father and her grandfather standing almost a foot from each other, anger written all over their faces.

Her father's eyes would not look away from her grandfather's. They were standing in the small yard that was before the room, probably at most six feet away from the door. Kuya was standing only feet away from them, listening to all of this. He wasn't about to dare interrupt their argument.

"Listen, Daichi, I just think that maybe Shiroi just needs some time to think things over and heal a little bit more," Kuro said as calmly as he could, "I can see that she is still confused as to what she is supposed to do. Any girl would be when she has the weight of her over protective father looking over her shoulder."

"Don't you dare say that to me! I am her father and I want to make sure that she is happy."

"Then let her stay here and think for goodness sake, Daichi. Her friends, of which she has not seen in years, are here. They can help her think this through. I know for a fact that Shunsui would be more than happy to help Shiroi."

"I need her home," Daichi angrily said to his father-in-law, "She will be a lot safer there. I don't want Aizen to get to her. If she stays here, who knows when he will come back. I don't want her to endanger herself anymore. It is time for her to act like the Soul Princess she was born to be."

Kuro shook his head. It was obvious that his son-in-law was going to be stubborn about this.

"Lord Kuchiki, could you come here for a minute," he said out loud. From around the corner, Shiroi saw Byakuya walk out of his hiding place. Daichi's eyes narrowed as the Kuchiki noble walked towards them.

"May I ask why you are here, Captain Kuchiki," he asked him. Shiroi shook her head. Her father was not going to call him "Lord Kuchiki" for the longest of times she guessed.

"I am here to ask you for your permission to court Lady Shiroi," Byakuya said, keeping his tone even and unscarred by the lack of respect he was getting from Daichi.

"And tell me why I would do that," he asked. Shiroi ran out of the room and ran onto the grass, just feet away from the three men.

"Because all the other men that you have ever tried to marry me off to were too stupid, idiotic, or selfish," Shiroi yelled. Everyone looked over at Shiroi, amazed that she had heard the whole entire conversation. Daichi looked at his daughter, slight guilt on his face.

"Shiroi," Daichi whispered.

"Do you now understand, Father," Shiroi asked him, tears running down her face, "I don't want to marry any of the nobles in the Royal Dimension. They all just want the power they can gain from marrying me or they just want me as in body. Do you want me to have a husband like that? And do you want a prince that acts like that?" Daichi looked down at the grass.

"I understand why you decided to reject almost every noble prince I brought to you, but I still don't understand why you would like to accept this man's courtship idea."

"Because he is one of the few people I trust with my life." Daichi closed her eyes.

"How can you trust him, Shiroi?"

"I don't know. I just do." Shiroi turned and ran from the scene.

"Shiroi, wait," yelled Daichi and Kuro at the same time. Kuya moved to follow his currently upset sister. Byakuya stood there, not moving from his place. He looked down at the ground, thinking his courtship offer over again.

'Maybe it wasn't a good idea to ask her,' Byakuya thought to himself.

_Master, you shouldn't think like that_, his zanpaku-to told him.

'Senbonzakura.'

_Lady Shiroi is just upset that her father will not accept that a Kuchiki asked his daughter to marry him. Do you not remember the story your grandfather told you? The story about your father and Shiroi's mother?_

'I remember.'

_Then maybe you can understand how Lady Shiroi's father feels._

Byakuya looked at Daichi. His slate gray eyes narrowed slightly before relaxing. Now he understood, well, at least he had an idea.

Meanwhile, Shiroi continued to run until she found herself in the back of the Akuma manor. She sat herself down under a tree and pulled her knees to her chest. She placed her face up against her legs. She didn't want anyone to see her tear fresh face. She heard footsteps stop in front of her. She looked up to see Kuya standing there. He was breathing a little bit on the heavy side, but not too bad. He must have run as fast as he could to catch up to her.

"Kuya, what am I supposed to do," she asked him, looking back down at her lap again. Kuya kneeled before her and placed his left hand on her right cheek, wiping away a single tear that was running down her face.

"I think all you need to do now is to try and think things over," he said calmly, "Everything is coming down on you too fast. You just need some time to relax. How about this… why don't you come back to the Royal Palace and just relax there? You can think things through there while healing."

"And what about Father?"

"I will have some guards assigned to you to make sure that he stays away from you until you are healed and have thought things over, ok?" Shiroi nodded. Kuya just smiled at his younger sister.

"Come here," he said, pulling her to him. Shiroi started to break down, tears running down her face freely. It almost seemed like they would not stop.

"Shiroi, can you calm down for me," Kuya asked her, "I hate seeing you like this. It breaks my heart to see my younger sister crying like this especially over something that our father did."

"I'll try." Silence went on for a few minutes before Kuya said…

"May I ask you… why do you really want to accept Lord Kuchiki's courtship idea?" Shiroi shrugged.

"I… I think it has to do with that fact that I may… have some… feelings for him," Shiroi answered him between breathes. Kuya sighed softly.

"Is that the real reason?"

"No, but it could be one of them."

"So what you said back there about him being one of the few you trusted with your life… did you mean that?"

"Yes." Kuya nodded.

"I think I understand, Shiroi."

"At least you understand. Father never will though."

"He will, just give him time." Shiroi nodded.

"Thank you, Kuya," Shiroi breathed after a few seconds of silence between the two of them.

"Shh… it's ok, now. I will stay by your side until the end." Shiroi sniffed before getting herself together. Kuya helped her up onto her feet just before Daichi, Kuro, and Byakuya got there.

"Shiroi, are you ok," Daichi asked her. He looked quite worried, but that didn't stop Shiroi from not answering her father. His daughter looked away from him and Kuya stepped in front of her.

"Father, Shiroi has agreed to go back to the Royal Palace just until she heals and thinks things over. Then, she can return back here where I think she belongs," Kuya stated.

"Kuya, you cannot make decisions like this without me present," Daichi said, "Besides, she doesn't not belong here. She belongs by my side in the Royal Dimension and acting like the Soul Princess she is."

"Father, I don't think you understand do you. She is not going to become Queen anytime soon, so for now she may act like herself, not what you want her to be. And I think it is about time that I do make decisions without you present. I am your heir to the throne after all. I will become King eventually. Plus I care about Shiroi as much as you do and I just want to make sure that she is happy as well. I am her older brother after all."

Daichi sighed. He was not happy that both his children were arguing with him about this.

"Alright, if you say so." Kuya looked over at his grandfather and Byakuya.

"Sorry about this, Grandfather, Lord Kuchiki, but Shiroi needs some time to think about everything that has happened. I promise you that she will be back soon," he said. Byakuya nodded, not saying a word.

"It's ok, Kuya. Can I trust you to take care of Shiroi while she is there," Kuro asked his grandson.

"Yes, you can, Grandfather." Shiroi looked over at Byakuya to see him looking at her. She immediately looked away, not wanting to make direct eye contact with the Kuchiki noble at the moment. She crossed her arms over her chest, holding her arms close to herself.

"Good, then I agree that Shiroi should go and have some time to think over everything that has happened," Kuro said before he turned to Byakuya, "Lord Kuchiki, I hope you do not take that into offense that my granddaughter cannot answer your question right now." Byakuya shook his head.

"I won't do that. I think it is also a good idea that Lady Shiroi take some time to relax," Byakuya said. Shiroi took her right hand and placed it over her mouth so that no one saw her small smile.

"Then if you could, Lord Kuchiki…," Kuro began, but Byakuya nodded and took his leave. Shiroi watched him go as Kuro took her back to her bedroom to help her get anything that she needed, which were just a few things.

"Shiroi," her grandfather asked, "you ok?"

"Huh… oh, yeah, I'm fine," she answered, snapping out of her little daze. Kuro smiled.

"Alright, I'm glad that you are feeling better," he said. Shiroi nodded.

"Although, I think that you are hiding something else from me." Shiroi looked over at her grandfather.

"What are you talking about?"

"First of all… I saw you hide that smile when Lord Kuchiki said it was fine about him waiting for his answer from you. Second of all…"

"Ok, ok, I understand, Grandfather. What's your point though?"

"Are you considering accepting Lord Kuchiki's courtship idea?" Shiroi looked away from Kuro, stopping in place at the same time. Kuro looked back at his granddaughter, a little confused as to why she stopped.

"Shiroi…?" He could see that Shiroi was slightly blushing.

"I… I really don't know what to do." Kuro sighed.

"Now I can see that you really are considering it." Shiroi nodded slightly.

"Do you really trust him with your life?"

"Yes, Grandfather, I do." Kuro sighed softly before placing his right hand on his chin, making him look like he was thinking about something really hard.

"What is it, Grandfather," Shiroi asked him several seconds later.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking. Is there anything that you really need to take with you to the Royal Palace?"

"Well, I did want to grab my captain's haori that I brought with me and I think that's about it." Kuro nodded as they continued to walk to Shiroi's bedroom. Shiroi grabbed her haori before they went back to the Senkaimon that they Akuma Clan had. Kuya and Daichi were already there with the few guards that they had brought with them. Kuya walked over to Shiroi and wrapped his right arm around her shoulders.

"Come on, let's get you home," her brother said. Shiroi nodded and let herself be led into the Senkaimon by her brother. Their father shortly followed after them. It wasn't long before they came to the Royal Palace at last. Kuya led Shiroi to her bedroom in the Royal Palace. Shiroi's bedroom in the palace was a lot different from the one she slept in at the Akuma manor.

For one, there were solid walls, nothing like the paper sliding doors at the manor. The walls were a gold and silver colored. Her bed had dark purple and white sheets on it. Next to the bed were two dark brown night tables. On the right wall was a closet; a walk in closet to be exact. There was a balcony on the left wall that looked over the most of the Royal Dimension. There was a dark wooden desk sitting on the same wall as the door that had a dark brown, leather chair in front of it. There were many pictures of Shiroi and her family hung on the walls.

"Thank you, Kuya," Shiroi said as she walked over to her bed. She placed her haori down on the bed before walking over to the clear balcony doors. She stared out of the windows, lost in her own little world now.

"Call me if you need anything, Shiroi," Kuya said before he left his sister alone to her thoughts. Shiroi sighed and sat down next to the balcony doors, her back to the wall next to them. She pulled her knees to her chest.

"What am I going to do," she whispered to herself. She looked up when she felt Kurodaja appear out of nowhere. The black serpent placed itself head on Shiroi's lap, which forced her knees down onto the ground.

"Thank you, Kurodaja, but what do you think I should do, boy," she asked the serpent.

_You should at least try and relax_, Shiroi, Kurodaja answered, _Then you can decide what you want to do._

"But, how should I decide?"

_Decide on what you think is best for you and for your people. Don't let anyone, like your father, decide for you._

"I'm just so confused, Kurodaja. I don't know whether or not I should accept Byakuya's courtship or not."

_You have known Byakuya since you were little. He always had a reason for why he did something. He must have a reason for doing this._

"I just hope that he didn't make this decision without thinking first." Shiroi leaned her head back so that she was looking at the ceiling. She closed her eyes, relaxing. She deserved a long break from a world of which she was born into. She laid there for several minutes; Kurodaja with his head still in her lap.

* * *

_Yamishiryu- dark, death dragon_

_Kurodaja- black serpent_

Please Review

P.S. Feel free to hate Daichi, but I want you all to know that he is only trying to give Shiroi what is best for her


	15. Answers

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach nor do I make any profit from it

* * *

Shiroi woke up the very next morning to see Kurodaja had curled up next her in the middle of the night. He must have thought she looked lonely or something. Shiroi smiled softly to herself. The black serpent woke up slowly, blinking its bright red eyes before lifting its head off of the bed. Kurodaja turned to Shiroi.

_Morning, Shiroi_, he greeted.

"Good morning," the dark blonde mistress greeted back. The serpent got off of the bed just as Shiroi made a move to get herself out. Shiroi stood up and stretched as she yawned softly.

_Did you sleep well, Shiroi_, the black serpent asked.

"Yes, for once I did."

_Good, I'm glad you are relaxing finally._

Shiroi nodded as she walked over to her walk-in closet.

"Do you think Kuya would be okay if I went to the barracks to check up on my squad, Kurodaja?"

_I think he would… as long as you take your guards with you._

Shiroi smiled softly.

"Yeah, I almost forgot about them." The black serpent disappeared and Shiroi began to dress in peace. She decided to wear her black shihakusho and white haori for today. When she was done getting herself dressed, she walked out her bedroom door and into the hallway on the other side. Two guards dressed in white haoris appeared by her side as soon as she stepped onto the wooden floor of the hallway.

"Lady Shiroi, where are you planning on going," one of them asked.

"I was thinking of going to my barracks," she replied, "if you two could come with me." They both nodded, making Shiroi smile. The three of them quickly made their way over to the Royal Guard Squad 01 barracks. Shiroi and her two guards didn't take too terribly long to get to the barracks at all. In fact, they probably got there in at least five minutes, and that included no flash step.

Shiroi walked to the training area in her barracks. Once there, she was happy to see Maya was already having her squad do some morning exercises. She was glad to see that her squad was doing fine with just Maya supervising them. Shiroi began to walk onto the small field, her guards close behind. The black-haired girl turned to look at her friend when she felt Shiroi's spiritual pressure close by.

"Shiroi," Maya greeted her friend loudly. Shiroi smiled and waved in return as she walked to her friend's side.

"How are they doing," she asked Maya, while looking at the other squad members.

"Good, although they miss having you instructing rather than myself," Maya replied, pointing to the subordinates. Shiroi watched her subordinates for a little while long before sighing softly to herself.

"Trust me, I miss it as well," Shiroi commented.

"How are you doing, Shiroi," Maya asked nervously.

"Fine," the blonde-haired noble responded without looking away from the other squad members, "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that, you seem to be a little off." Shiroi looked over at her friend, slightly confused by her statement.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, you seem to be somewhere else mentally." Shiroi sighed, understanding perfectly well what she meant.

"My mind keeps wondering off to… an unexpected night I had a few days ago," Shiroi finally answered after a couple seconds of silence.

"What happened," Maya asked with concern. Shiroi looked around before jerking her head in the direction of a wall. Maya nodded, understanding what her friend was getting at. The two girls walked over to the wall; of course this didn't go unnoticed by Shiroi's guards. Shiroi told her guards they needed a little privacy, so the guards decided to stand several feet away from them as the two girls had their conversation. They could still see them, but at least they wouldn't hear what Shiroi was about to say.

"So, what happened," Maya whispered.

"I was given a courtship offer," Shiroi whispered back.

"By who?" Shiroi could see the excitement in Maya's face. She really wanted to know who had given Shiroi a courtship offer. And why won't she?

"Byakuya Kuchiki," Shiroi answered softly. Maya gasped in amazement. Maya had never met Byakuya before, but Shiroi told plenty of stories about him. That included the time he saved her from Kenji in the Rukon district. So in a sense, she had "met" him.

"Wait, really? Why," the black-haired woman asked. Shiroi shrugged.

"I don't really know. I only have an idea." Maya opened her mouth, about to ask another question when…

"And no, I'm not telling you that idea," Shiroi said before her friend could even say a word. Maya closed her mouth and huffed in disappointment.

"Sorry, Maya, but I would prefer if no one else heard the idea I have." Maya nodded before leaning against the wall.

"I understand, Shiroi, but are you going to accept his offer," Maya questioned. Shiroi also leaned against the wall before looking up at the blue sky. She had to wonder herself. Was she going to accept his offer? Or not?

"I have thought about it, but I'm still not sure. That's part of the reason why I'm back here. I'm thinking it over while I'm healing from my injuries, but I think it may be awhile before I finally figure out my answer."

"In all honesty, Shiroi, I would accept his offer," Maya told her. Shiroi looked over at her friend.

"And why would you say that?"

"Well, from what you have told me about him, it seems to me that he likes you and cares about you. Plus, all of the nobles' sons here in the Royal Dimension just want the power they get from marrying you. This noble from the Soul Society seems to care more about you than the power he gains from marrying you."

"I guess you're right, Maya," Shiroi responded. A slight blush appeared on Shiroi's face, which went unnoticed by the black-haired girl.

"And from that blush, I would have to say that you like him as well."

"Maya!" Maya laughed at Shiroi's reaction.

"Oh come on, Shiroi," Maya told her, "admit it. You do like him." Shiroi looked away. Did she like him? Could she really have feelings for him?

"I… I don't know," Shiroi responded. Maya placed her left hand on her friend's right shoulder, making her look up once more.

"If I were you, Shiroi, I would think it over these next couple of days about what this man means to you." Shiroi nodded before walking over to her guards once more.

She told them that she was done here, so the three of them went back to the Royal Palace. Shiroi and her guards made their way to Shiroi's bedroom once again. Shiroi wanted to get a little bit of rest in before lunch.

* * *

In the Soul Society, Byakuya was walking to the back garden in the Kuchiki manor. He would go the Squad Six barracks later that day. As of now, he wanted some time to think. As he was walking, Byakuya heard someone call for him from behind. He stopped and turned to see Rukia running towards him.

"Brother, I want to ask you something," the black-haired girl told him once she was finally standing by his side.

"What is it, Rukia," Byakuya asked sternly. There was a part of him that didn't want to talk to her and another that did.

"Well, I was curious about the first time you met Lady Shiroi," Rukia explained, "I was wondering if you could tell me what happened." Byakuya turned away from Rukia; his eyes drifted down to the floor. Again there was a part of him that wanted to talk to her and another that didn't.

"I was sixteen and she was fifteen," Byakuya began.

* * *

That day, several years ago, was definitely a day that Byakuya and Shiroi won't forget. It was a very calm day. A perfect day to train, which was exactly what sixteen year-old Byakuya Kuchiki was doing. He was practicing with a pretend sword made of wood. He was dressed in a white top and dark green bottoms. His black hair was pulled back by a single red ribbon.

"Byakuya," called a voice behind him. Byakuya stopped and turned to face the direction the voice was coming from. An old man with long, gray hair and slate gray eyes walked closer to young Kuchiki noble. The old man was Ginrei Kuchiki, captain of Squad Six during that time and Byakuya's grandfather.

"Grandfather," Byakuya said, surprised, "I thought you were going to stay at the barracks today."

"No, I decided not too," Ginrei commented, "That reminds me, Byakuya, we are having some guests over today."

"Guests," Byakuya questioned, cocking his head a little to the side. Out of nowhere, he felt something against his head. His eyes narrowed, finally figuring out who it was.

"So it's you, cat woman," he yelled as he swung his wooden sword at the person to his right. A teasing kind of laughter rang out as a woman moved away from Byakuya. She landed on her feet once she had placed some distance between her and the young Kuchiki noble.

"Cat woman," she laughed, "is that really a fine way of greeting me, little Byakuya?" She had short, dark purple hair and golden eyes. The woman was dressed in a black shihakusho and white haori. It was Yoruichi Shihoin, captain of Squad Two at that time. She laughed again as Byakuya pointed his wooden sword at her.

"What do you want, Yoruichi Shihoin," Byakuya yelled again.

"Am I not allowed to visit you, Byakuya," she asked, teasing him.

"Why would I ever want someone like you visit me," Byakuya continued to yell, "I will be the head of the Kuchiki Clan soon, so I don't have time to waste on you!"

"Is that right," Yoruichi asked as she cocked her head. The very next second she was gone. She had flash-stepped. Byakuya's eyes widened as he felt the red ribbon pulled from his hair. Byakuya swung around, swinging his wooden sword at the same time.

"Why you," he angrily said. Yoruichi laughed as she landed on the rooftop.

"I would be worried if the next head of the Kuchiki Clan gets his hairtie stolen by a girl at play," Yoruichi teased.

A small giggle came from behind the two Kuchiki nobles. Yoruichi, Byakuya and Ginrei looked over at a small, covered, wooden path. A small girl and a medium-height, old man were standing there. The girl was dressed in a white top and dark blue bottoms. She had dark blonde hair and black-colored eyes. Her dark blonde hair was down, so it brushed her shoulders just barely. The man had gray hair and kind, dark brown eyes. He was dressed in a dark blue yukata. This was fifteen year-old Shiroi and her grandfather, Kuro Akuma.

Shiroi looked up at her grandfather. He sighed before nodding. Shiroi quickly ran over to Byakuya's side before looking up at the mischievous Yoruichi.

"Yoruichi, that wasn't very nice," she teased.

"Shiroi, come on, admit it," Yoruichi said, chuckling a bit, "It was funny." Shiroi smiled softly.

"I guess, but…" Shiroi quickly flash-stepped up to the rooftop, grabbed Byakuya's ribbon, and back onto the ground within a couple seconds. She looked back up at Yoruichi, waving the ribbon a bit in front of her.

"It looks like the student has surpassed the master," Shiroi commented with a little giggle. Yoruichi laughed as well. Shiroi held her hand, the one that was holding the ribbon, out to Byakuya.

"Here, I think this is yours," she said kindly with a small smile. Byakuya blushed slightly as he took the ribbon.

"Thank you," he said softly. Shiroi smiled again before she walked over to her grandfather's side. Kuro placed his right hand on her left shoulder.

"Good job, Shiroi," he told her before looking up at Yoruichi, "What are you going to do, Yoruichi? It seems she has surpassed you."

"No way," the woman yelled slightly, "She just got lucky." Shiroi laughed under her breath.

"Yeah, that's what it is," she laughed, "Just luck." Yoruichi looked over at Byakuya. He still had a red blush across his face.

"Oh, it looks like Byakuya likes a certain noble girl," Yoruichi teased.

"Shut up, Yoruichi Shihoin," Byakuya yelled.

* * *

Byakuya looked up at the sky once he had finished his story. Rukia looked at him. She was slightly amazed that her brother, who was one of the most expressionless people she knew, had such a temper when he was sixteen.

"I remember thinking back then that she was so carefree," he continued, "And she was carefree. She appeared like any normal, happy girl should be. She didn't appear to be depressed at all. She had a serious side to her of course, but still, that carefree side showed up a lot."

"Brother, can I ask why you and Lady Shiroi didn't have like an arranged marriage or something when you two were older," Rukia asked.

"It was mostly because she fell in love with Kaito first," Byakuya replied, "And I became like this." He turned away from Rukia and began walking away.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore, Rukia," he stated before he was too far away from her.

"Yes, Brother," Rukia responded. Byakuya continued to walk towards the back garden in the Kuchiki manor like before. His thoughts went back to Shiroi. Why hadn't they been arranged to marry? After all they were both high ranking nobles. Was it because of her father? Or was it something else?

_Master_, Senbonzakura said suddenly, pulling Byakuya out of his thoughts.

'What is it, Senbonzakura,' he thought back as he continued on walking.

_I must ask, what did you mean by "I became like this"?_

Byakuya stopped in his tracks.

'I meant becoming the head of the Kuchiki Clan and the expressionless man I am now,' Byakuya answered. Senbonzakura could sense that his master didn't want to talk about it anymore, so he left him alone once again.

Byakuya looked over at the back garden that he had finally arrived at. He hadn't even noticed that he had arrived until just now. Was his thoughts really wrapped around Shiroi that much?

Byakuya shook his head slightly. What was he thinking? He didn't think about Shiroi all that much before she even arrived here. But Byakuya had to wonder, why did he ask to court Shiroi? He closed his eyes for a second before looking up at the blue sky.

"Maybe," he whispered, "I just want to see her carefree once again."

"Oh, Byakuya," called a certain female voice. Byakuya narrowed his eyes after he recognized the voice.

"I thought you had already gone back to the World of the Living, Yoruichi Shihoin," he commented as he looked over his left shoulder. Sure enough, Yoruichi was standing there. She had a huge grin on her face.

"So, a little birdie told me that you asked Shiroi about a possible courtship," she stated, still smiling and not commenting on Byakuya's statement.

"And who told you that," Byakuya asked her, sternly.

"Kuro Akuma," Yoruichi responded, "He thought I should know. Don't worry, I haven't told anyone else, I can promise you that." The dark-skinned woman walked forward, passing Byakuya.

"Is that all you had to tell me, Yoruichi?" Yoruichi stopped a few feet away.

"No, actually, I wanted to know why you decided to ask her." Byakuya glared at her back before turning to the garden.

"I don't need to tell you that." Yoruichi turned to look at Byakuya.

"Fine, you don't have to tell me," she told him, "but I just hope that if she does accept your offer that you can bring out the old her again." Yoruichi vanished into thin air, leaving Byakuya alone once more.

"I hope for that as well, Yoruichi," he whispered.

* * *

At the Royal Palace, instead of sleeping, Shiroi was standing on her balcony outside of her bedroom. As she was standing there, she was looking out at the Royal Dimension. She sighed softly to herself. She had missed the Royal Dimension while she was in the Soul Society, but there was a part of her that wanted to stay in the Soul Society. But what? Her thoughts quickly brought her to Byakuya.

"I can't believe that he would try and court me," she whispered to herself, "I mean, why would he? Is it at all possible for him to…" Shiroi shook her head.

'Why am I even thinking about this,' she thought. Why indeed? Why was she thinking about Byakuya and his offer? Shiroi turned around and leaned back against the balcony rail.

'I want to know why he decided to give me that offer,' she thought to herself, 'I need to know. I need to go back to the Soul Society, but…'

"Lady Shiroi," called a guard from her bedroom door. Shiroi walked over to one of the open balcony doors and stood there.

"What is it," she yelled back.

"Lord Kuya would like to talk to you," the guard told her.

"Let him in," Shiroi ordered before turning back around. She walked over to the balcony rail and waited for her brother to come to her side.

"Shiroi, I heard that you went to your barracks today," Kuya told his sister once he was standing next to her. Shiroi's gaze fell to the balcony rail. So he had found out sooner than she had thought.

"Yeah, I did," she responded.

"You didn't try and join in on any training, did you," he asked her.

"No, I didn't. You can even ask Maya," Shiroi answered, "I only went there to see how my squad was doing and to tell Maya about the offer I was given."

"As long as that was it, then it's fine," Kuya commented. Shiroi nodded her response.

"Shiroi, have you decided," her dark-haired brother suddenly asked.

"No, I haven't." Kuya sighed.

"I figured as much."

"I can't decide because I don't know why he even asked me in the first place," Shiroi continued.

"Really?" Shiroi nodded.

"Kuya, if you could let me and Maya go to the Soul Society for a little while, that would be great," she told him.

"Why," Kuya asked her, curious as to what she was getting to. Shiroi looked up at her older brother.

"I want to go and talk to Shunsui, please," Shiroi pleaded, "I think he could possibly help me figure this out." Kuya looked away from Shiroi.

'Would Captain Kyoraku really help her figure this out,' Kuya thought, 'Probably not, but he does seem to help her whenever she needed it.'

He remembered when Shiroi was in the Squad Four barracks and she yelled at their father to get out. Shunsui came in and politely asked their father to leave as well. Since Kuya had left with their father, he wasn't sure what Shunsui talked about with Shiroi, but Kuya could guess the brown-haired captain tried to calm Shiroi down.

"If you think he can help you a little bit then I don't see why you can't go and talk to him," Kuya finally answered as he looked back at his sister. Shiroi smiled softly.

"Thank you, Kuya," she responded as she hugged her brother tightly. Kuya chuckled a bit under his breath.

"Go on," he told her, "The sooner you get there the longer you can stay and chat with him." Shiroi nodded before letting her brother go. She quickly flash-stepped over to the Squad 01 barracks without looking back. Kuya smiled to himself before he turned to the balcony doors. Standing at the doors was none other than Shiroi's two body guards.

"Lord Kuya, where has Lady Shiroi gone," asked one of the guards.

"She's going to the Soul Society," Kuya explained, "She's going with her lieutenant, so she won't need you two until she gets back."

"Yes, sir," the two guards replied before turning to walk away.

'Now, the only one left to tell is Father,' Kuya thought to himself. Kuya smiled to himself.

'Yeah, that's going to be fun to explain.'

* * *

_Kurodaja- black serpent_

Please Review


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